My Master
by Ordile
Summary: After running away and breaking a priceless heirloom of the Hanazono family, Nagisa is forced in her own will to work as Shizuma's maid. Nagisa x Shizuma; Other pairings. Shoujo-Ai, Light Yuri. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This idea suddenly popped in my mind, and I decided to write it down and share it with you fans. :] This is like the maid x master kinda fanfic. **

**So please read and enjoy!**

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**Chapter 1:**

It was raining. The sky was covered in swirls of dreary clouds while a set of raindrops pounded on the streets, sending flows of water through the cracks of the ground.

Nagisa's auburn hair dampened as she began running through an ally, making small splashes along the way. Her shirt began to stick to her peach colored skin and her light crimson colored eyes began to water, blurring her vision. She could hear the bullets of rain hitting her head like an artillery gun.

'_Stupid mama, stupid papa._' She dragged her suitcase, which was now covered in raindrops. Her head was throbbing in anger; she could feel the vein in her forehead about to pop. _'I don't wanna hear your arguments at all.' _She wiped the tears from her eyes and continued to run. '_I'm really sick of it._'

She had just ran away from home. Having to deal with the shouts and yells of her parent's fights every night pricked her heart as if she was the reason for it.

She took shelter under a small roof on the sides of the ally and sat quietly there.

With her knees up and her head under her arms, she began crying again.

The tears continued to flow to into a channel under her eyes while feeling a ball in her throat choking her.

She didn't care about anything in the world right now. Her father, her mother, where she is right now - she let the tribulations from her mind flow like rushing water streaming rapidly down a lake.

A sharp wind suddenly pricked the air as Nagisa shivered. Only the sound of raindrops filled the air. Though, a slight sound of something rustling came from a corner of an ally.

Nagisa turned her head to what it was, but later dismissed the thought of it as stray cats scavenging in the trash cans.

Nagisa returned back to her thoughts and then sighed in resignation. It now occurred in her mind that she didn't know where to go.

_Baka Nagisa!_' She pat her head of how much of an idiot she was. ' _Oh wait, I know, I'll go visit Tamao-chan! She doesn't have any roommate right now, so maybe she could smuggle me in._'

The thought of visiting her best friend lightened her mood just a little bit. Tamao is Nagisa's trust-worthy best friend. She goes to a private all-girls school and Nagisa attends a public school which means they don't see each other on weekdays. However, that didn't stop them from keeping their friendship alive ; they contact each other through email or converse with each other through the phone whenever Tamao can use the computer in the library or smuggle a cell-phone in school grounds. They always share their troubles with each other, give advices to each other, and tell a few corny or hilarious jokes whenever necessary.

But the fun moments of what she had with her best friend wasn't what she was thinking of.

Nagisa stood up, and with her suitcase clutched in her hand, she began searching for the nearest bus-stop to Asterea Hill.

* * *

The raindrops continued to stick to the window, racing down the glass wall.

The room was silent, except the sound of rain crashing unto the roof and windows. Tamao sat silently on her chair with a piece of blank paper lying on her desk. She fiddled the pencil in her hand, contemplating a new poem she could compose.

She checked her phone if Nagisa had replied to her text message yet.

No replies yet...

She now regretted sending that love letter. The letter that holds the confession of her love for Nagisa. That was the biggest mistake of her life.

If she rejected her feelings, what would happen to their friendship?

She scratched her head in frustration and began to jot down ideas for a poem, shrugging the thoughts off.

* * *

"Hey, girl." The man said as he came closer to Nagisa. "Are you lost? Why don't you stay at my apartment tonight?" The shabby man smirked while he pinned Nagisa to the nearest wall, with his hands cupped to her wrists.

"N-no please. I-I'm was just waiting for someone. Pl-please let me go." Nagisa started to panic. She could smell the intoxicating stench of alcohol and urine from the man as the personal space between them began to narrow.

"Hey, hey, hey come on. Don't be like that. Heh heh heh..." Nagisa could almost puke from the smell of his breath after he breathed out a smile.

"Please, please just let me go." If only she didn't wander into this ally, she wouldn't have been stuck in this situation.

The rain continued to soak into her hair like her tears starting to water in her eyes.

"HEY! What the hell are you doing to her?" A voice, not too far away, called out from the distance.

Nagisa and the man turned their heads to what it was. She could feel the tight grip on her wrist beginning to slacken as the man's attention heeded away from her.

There stood a figure on the entrance of the ally. Nagisa couldn't make out the silhouette clearly in the rain, but she could tell it was a woman, holding an umbrella.

The man frowned and said, "Hey, lady do you mind? We're doing something here."

The figure stood silent.

"Ahh...please help me." Nagisa begged the woman as the man began rubbing his erection unto the pleading red-head. '_ I don't want to get raped._ 'She winced in her own tears at the disgusting act.

After standing for a few moments, the woman suddenly lunged forward and swung her legs, kicking the man on the ass.

"AUGH!" He screamed and faltered away from Nagisa. A hand covered his rear-end, hoping the pain would stop. The woman then walked forward and thrust her knee to the man's organs, making him yelp in agony as he covered his crotch with his other hand. The woman then grabbed the man's messy hair and pounded it on the wall next to where Nagisa was standing. Crimson blood now covered his face.

"You-you fucking bitch!" He ran away rather unsteadily and slumped, nearly tripping on a few trash cans.

The woman turned her head to Nagisa, walked forward, and said, "Are you okay?"

Her savior's voice was soft and serene, like the sweet voice of an elegant aristocrat. Wavy silver hair, like silk flowing gracefully in the air, reached to the back of her slender figure ; light fair skin made her appearance more feminine - like a peach wrapped in the most finest and exquisite silk. All these exemplified pulchritude that this woman possessed can truly be compared to the Goddesses above. But what captivated Nagisa the most was the pair of jaded gleaming eyes staring deeply into her, as if she's gently looking into her soul.

"Daijoubu ka?" The woman asked again. This time, she walked more closer to her and made her stare more deeper.

The more Nagisa looked into those emerald-coloured eyes, the more it made her uncomfortable. It gave her butterflies in her stomach. The first time in her life, just by staring at someone, it gave her butterflies in her stomach. It was as if time stopped for her. The longest 5 seconds ever.

And she didn't know why, but...suddenly, she felt her legs move. She's not sure if her legs are really moving or just an illusion, but she could tell the woman's figure was becoming more smaller, no- more distance. It's as if the woman was running away from her. Or was it the other way around? Yes, it was. Nagisa is running away from her. But why? She could even feel her hair becoming more wet as she felt herself running away from the ally, from the mysterious woman with luminous eyes.

It was as if her legs carried her. To safety, perhaps? But what dangers would that woman bring? Maybe it was all a set-up. Maybe she was just gaining her trust. Maybe the man was hired so that woman could gain trust from her. '_Wait, what the heck am I thinking?_' She shook her paranoid thoughts away from her head and let the rain caress her soft skin while gasping for air from the long jog she just had.

_'But what was the reason why I did that?' _ She leaned down on her knees and looked behind her on the distance. '_I didn't even get to thank her properly._' She thought of running back to the woman, but she knew she would get lost again. Besides, she's probably not there anymore by the time she gets back. She could picture the woman walking back to her place, with an umbrella in her hand, wondering about the crimson-haired whom she just saved - wondering why she ran away.

'_Whatever..._' She shook the thoughts off from her mind and decided to walk to Asterea Hill instead.

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'_That was weird. Why did that girl run away_?' Shizuma glanced around the streets if the red-haired girl was around. '_She had such a cute face too._'

She sighed while lit up a smile. _'Oh well..._' The silver haired beauty then decided to go back to her house.

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Nagisa was standing in front of the path to Asterea Hill. Guessing from how long the path looked, she never knew how a long trek it would be to get to Strawberry Dorms.

She looked up her destination. The disparaging buildings glared at her. Maybe it was just her imagination- but it was as if the rain covered windows were mocking her. She could visually picture the eyes of the buildings wagging their finger teasingly while throwing her with snide remarks.

'_Just standing here won't get me anywhere._' Nagisa entered the woods, hoping she wouldn't get lost.

But quickly regretted it after walking a good distance, thinking she was now lost.

Every time she sees a dark area of the woods, it felt as if it was giving her an eerie glare. Every time she hears animals nearby, she felt as if it was going to jump on her an eat it. Every time she trips on small branches, it felt as if someone was going to kidnap her. The woods were just too treacherous for her.

_''Hoot...'' _A sound came from one of the trees as Nagisa was walking by ; though she decided to ignore it. ''_Hoot, hoot..._'' It sounded off again. This time, Nagisa turned her head to where the weird sound was coming from. '_Hoot hoot hoot..._' It went again as Nagisa's leg started to shaken.

'_Wh-wha-what the heck was that?_' Her stomach gave off a lurch of fear as she look around nervously.

And then - like a flash of light - a a group of birds emerged from one of the trees and suddenly swooped down on Nagisa.

"IIIYYYAAAAA!" The frightened Nagisa covered her head from the birds and ran away helplessly. She didn't even bother looking at her directions as her eyes were closed in fear. She recklessly tripped on a branch, and then landed on on mushy grass. "Ow, ow, ow, ow..." She stood up and was now covered in mud.

A sound of flapping wings frightened her again, which made her jump and trip on a branch, making her roll down on the muddy landscape. She tried to stop by grabbing on of a hanging branch but the force of gravity outdid her. She closed her eyes in fear as she continued to roll down the hill. She then landed on a pile of mud again while feeling a few bruises and cuts somewhere in her legs.

'Ow, ow ow..." She really regretted coming here now. If only she stayed home, she wouldn't have been in this mess. Nagisa pictured herself lying on her bed while sending back text messages to Tamao, ignoring her parent's arguments from the next room ; picturing a more jubilant Nagisa than the one this is now.

She could feel tears watering her eyes while a ball choked her throat. Sadness and anger intermixed with each other as it overwhelmed her.

She wanted to yell. She wanted to scream in the rain while covered in mud and debris, letting go all her problems.

But she didn't. Something made her stop. When she looked ahead, there stood a house sitting comfortably near the trees - it wasn't too small, but a little big.

The windows were lit, staring at her, as if it was welcoming her. Nagisa beamed a smile while relief washed over her.

She stood up from the mud and knocked on the door. She felt so blissfully happy like she was under a trance in a euphoric paradise. She can't even tell if she's having headache from either happiness or pain, but she could tell there was a short pang suddenly pricking her in the head. But whatever, she's relieved now, like she was in the state of nirvana.

The door swung open, revealing a woman with gleaming green eyes staring at her and shiny silvery hair.

It was the woman from earlier - this jerked Nagisa back to reality.

"A-ano..." Nagisas tried to speak, but she felt so nervous from the woman's emerald orbs. And because the pain in her head grew more sharper, it was more difficult to find the right words to speak.

Nagisa's body felt hot all of a sudden. Sweat started rolling down her forehead as the pain in her head pricked her head more. The world started to swing around her and her surroundings blurred in her eyes. She felt her back sweating and her body became numb. From the blurring visions, she could see the woman's lips gently leaning in to touch Nagisa's forehead.

And then - like light switch off - everything faded to black.

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_'Where am I again?_' Nagisa conscious came back to her. She couldn't tell where she was but she could tell she was lying down on the floor. _'Oh yeah, I passed out._' Nagisa rubbed her head dozily, the headache still there.

She opened her eyes tiredly - but the very first thing she saw immediately woke her up. Pink glossy lips began to lean towards her and close the distance between Nagisa. The startled red head looked up and saw the silver haired woman trying to steal a kiss from her. Nagisa leaped back, and the woman's eyes immediately opened at the failed endeavor.

"Wha-what are you trying to do?" Nagisa stood up and kept her distance from her.

She didn't say anything, but walked more closer to Nagisa. Her expression was stoic and impassive while she stared into the red head's eyes.

"Wha-" The woman gently grabbed Nagisa by the shoulder and made her gaze more deeper.

Nagisa shook the woman's grasp and leaped back and knocked something over behind her. The surprised red-head looked behind her and saw a vase shaking slightly and then -

_CRASHED!_ It landed on the floor and shattered to pieces.

Nagisa became flabbergasted, realizing what she had just done. "Go-gomen nasai..." Nagisa apologized while the silver haired woman merely stared at the broken pieces.

"That vase...was a family urn..."

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean too." Nagisa has absolutely no idea to skirt her way out of this situation.

"You'll have to...pay..."

"Eh? I'm sorry. I don't have any money." She was on the verge of crying out tears, but she decided to hold it in. "I..."

The woman turned her head to her, giving Nagisa a piercing angry look. "Then pay with your body!"

"Eh?" '_Pay with my body? What the heck is that suppose to mean?_'

The silver-haired turned her back to her, cocked her head to the side and said, "Starting from now on, you _will _be my maid." '

'_Nani?_' The red-head screamed in her mind from the confusion she's getting,

"I _own _you now," The woman said before leaving the room, leaving Nagisa in an overwhelming state of bewilderment.

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**A/N: Ahh... finally, I'm done. -o- **

**I thought it would take forever. ^0^**

**Anyways, please review, telling me what you guys think. **

**Reviews help me know your guy's opinions, so don't ever hesitate to do so. :] **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: LAH! LAH! LAH! LAH! Next chapter go. GO GO GO GO!**

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**Chapter 2: **

'_Starting from now on, you will be my maid. I own you now." _Those words rung into Nagisa's confused mind. She was dumbfounded and speechless of what she had just gotten herself into.

_'Maid? What the hell?'_ Nagisa couldn't believe it herself. '_Wha-wha-what?" _Nagisa started to sob. '_If only I stayed. If only I didn't come here. If only I didn't break the vase. If only, if only, if only..._'

"Hey!" A sudden voice came from the top of the stairs, breaking the if only's in her mind. "What's your name?"

Nagisa turned her head and saw the silver-haired lady coming down the stairs with her hands folded across her chest.

"Na-nagisa Aoi..." The red head then lowered her head in shame and depression.

"Then come with me, Aoi-san."

She followed the silver beauty, leading Nagisa to a small bedroom.

"This is where you'll stay." She turned her head to Nagisa who was still confused and sad.

"Stay? What? I never agreed to be your servant."

The woman smirked and turned her whole body to the frightened Nagisa, coming closer to her as the red head backed away slowly. "Hmph? Really?" Nagisa panicked slightly when she felt her back to the wall. Her wrists were then pinned by the woman's hands with much force that she couldn't resist. "Then what are you gonna do about the vase you broke, huh?" The woman eyed her seductively and began licking and breathing her neck lustfully. "Didn't you say you didn't have any money? Or do you want me to-"

"Okay, okay, okay! I'll do it, I'll do it." She said as she began wincing at the discomfort of the close proximity. "Just please let me go!"

She sighed in relief as she felt the grip on her wrist beginning to slacken.

"There's a shower that you could use there." The woman jerked her head to the room that she lead to Nagisa. "You look like you got into a mud fight or some sort." Her eyes glanced at Nagisa's wet and mud covered body from head to toe.

"Ari-arigatou." She slightly bowed her head and the woman walked downstairs, leaving Nagisa alone.

The red head closed the door and examined the room more carefully. She turned on the lights and saw a small bed neatly sitting with a lamp on the counter table to the side. Everything in the room was clean; no clutters or nothing. She laid her dried mud covered suitcase on the floor.

She opened the window curtains, revealing a panorama of a very gloomy state of Asterea Forest. She could hear distant rumbles of thunders outside as the downpour of rain continued, leaving droplets of water on the window. Out in the horizon, she could see the buildings of Asterea Hill, sitting lonesomely in the blackened sky. Nagisa could even picture Tamao lying on her bed comfortingly as she began reading a novel, wondering if Nagisa replied to her text messages yet.

_'Text message...'_ That rung into her mind, and then she remembered something. '_I forgot to bring my cell phone!_'

She grumbled groggily and decided to let it go instead. She already has a lot of things to worry more about.

_'This is the worst day ever.' _Disgruntled, she decided to take a shower to let all the grieving troubles wash away.

She stripped all of her muddy and wet clothes and got in the shower. After she was clean and fresh, she rummaged through her suitcase, looking for something good to wear. A towel was wrapped around her body, hugging her curves.

There was a knock on the door as she continued to search. Guessing it was the silver haired woman, she nervously said, "Co-come in..."

The door swung open, revealing the person of what she thought it was. The silver head came in and examined Nagisa's half naked body, with an unreadable expression to the the red head.

"Uhh... yes?" Nagisa spoke up, breaking the woman's trance-like state.

"You have a nice body," she commented stoically, thought with a hint of flirtatiousness; Nagisa could see the woman's eyes were fixed on her undeveloped breasts while she began feeling uneasily. "Here, I want you to wear this." She handed her some kind of clothing.

"Wha-what's this?" In Nagisa's hands now was a frilly maid costume that looked like it could fit her.

"I want you to wear it."

"Why?" She knew she wouldn't look good in this kind of clothing. After all, she felt like she gained weight from the cakes she was eating from the past weeks. A plump-looking Nagisa in a maid costume appeared in her mind, when she mentally pictured herself in the outfit.

" 'Cuz I want you too."

"What if I refuse! ?"

"What if you refuse?" She came closer to Nagisa, leaning her head towards hers and wrapper her arms around the girl's waste. "Guess..." She seductively cooed in her ear as she licked her ear-lobe, causing Nagisa to turn red as the colour of her hair.

"Okay, okay I'll wear it!" Nagisa said, wincing from the close proximity. "Just please, let me go."

The woman formed a sly smirk and let go of Nagisa.

"I'll meet you downstairs then." She left and Nagisa sighed in relief.

'_She's really scary. I better be careful_,' Nagisa thought as she put on the maid outfit reluctantly.

After she put it on, she then examined herself on the mirror miserably. It's true that she gained weight. Her tummy grew a bit bigger, but at least she wasn't entirely chubby. Sighing in resignation, she came downstairs where she saw the woman eating dinner on the kitchen table already.

The woman merely stared at her, the stoic expression still there, when she saw Nagisa in the maid outfit.

"Uhmm...hi." She nervously greeted her, causing her to look into Nagisa's crimson eyes. "I-I didn't get your name."

"It's Shizuma Hanazono." The silver haired took a bite at her meal. "And you'll address me with -sama. Got it?"

"Hai, Hanazono-sama." Nagisa sat down next to Shizuma who was fixed on her meal. "Uhm..." She fiddled around on her chair, trying to break the silence that's now waving around them. "Did you make that or did someone else did?"

"No, my parents sends it to me. The maids there always makes food for me, like bentos and stuff."

"The maids? You mean I'm the only one here?"

"Yeeaah..." Shizuma turned to face Nagisa, eying her flirtatiously. "It's just you and me in this house..._alone_."

Nagisa abruptly stared down at the floor, her face turning a dark red, when Shizuma emphasized the word 'alone.'

Shizuma's face formed a smirk and then laughed lightly. "Your cute...Nagisa-chan."

She felt her cheeks getting hot. "Ah-uhm-uhmm-ano..." She continued to stutter, finding the right words, but was almost thwarted by Shizuma's laugh. "Ahm...I still don't know what a maid's suppose to do." She said softly, still embarrassed.

"What a maid's suppose to do?"

"Yes, what is it?"

The airy smile that Shizuma was inducing quickly turned into a mischievous smirk. She leaned closer to Nagisa, wrapping her arms around her waist and licking her neck. The red head shivered helplessly as she did this. "Whatever...the master wants them to do." Shizuma answered, sneering. Nagisa quickly knew the topic she was talking about.

"Ha-Hanazono-sama!" She pulled Shizuma from her grasp, scared and frightened. "I-I don't want to do those kind of things." Nagisa's head was cowered down so she couldn't see Shizuma's expression, but she could tell there was a sudden tensity in the atmosphere.

A rolling of thunder and and an abrupt downpour of rain broke the silence. Shizuma stood up from her chair looked out the nearest window. The rain continued to pound on the roofs as her playful expression shifted into an impassive state.

"Well, it's getting late..." Shizuma's tone of voice remained insensible and calm. "Please get to bed. There's school tomorrow."

"School?" Nagisa asked, a bit relief from the change of subject.

"Yes, you'll be transferring in my school, whether you like it or not."

"Bu-but I'm ready going to a public school."

"Too bad, you'll go to St. Miator with me."

_'St Miator? Hmm... that's where Tamao-chan goes to! Maybe if I'm lucky, I could even be in the same class as hers._' The thought of seeing her best friend cheered up her mood. "Okay." Nagisa stood up from her chair. "I'll go to bed then." And headed upstairs to her room.

Shizuma's stoic facade faltered slightly when she didn't see a hint of stubbornness in Nagisa's statement. _'Hmm... maybe she knows someone there._'

She decided to shrug the thoughts off and decided to go to sleep, letting her mind think up of various plans she could play on her new Nagisa...

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**A/N: Okay! So I had a lot of free time, and decided to update this story. I just did some minor changes on Shizuma's personality, and bit of changes on some stuff too. IT"S AU!  
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**So please review~ ; U ;**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So I decided to update now. :] I really should be doing my homework, but oh well. 8D  
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**Chapter 3:**

"Hey, wake up!" The voice yanked Nagisa from her slumber, causing her to nudge in her comfy bed.

When she opened her eyes, she saw emerald green orbs staring back at her. Nagisa sat up lethargically while rubbing her eyes tiredly. It was Shizuma, glaring irritatingly at her. Her silver mane of hair were pulled back into a ponytail, wearing a familiar uniform that Nagisa instantly recognized. A black dress that hugged Shizuma's curves halfway to her abdomen and continued to flow into a skirt, accompanied by a small tie with white frills on the side was the St. Miator uniform. She recognized that attire from Tamao who, on the rare occasion, visits her on weekdays.

"You know, we're gonna be late for school. Here." She threw the same outfit, landing on the edge of her bed. "You'll have to wear that. Please come down in five minutes." She left her in privacy and Nagisa got up from her bed.

When she examined the uniform, misery and embarrassment overcame her again. Just like with the maid outfit, the red-head didn't think it would look good on her, despite on how cute it looks. She sighed and tried it on anyways- although reluctantly. After she washed her face and brushed her teeth, she came downstairs only to find an irritated Shizuma slouching on one of the couches. Her finger stopped tapping impatiently when she saw Nagisa.

"Are you ready?" Her tone of voice was obviously hinted of annoyance.

"Yes- oh wait... I forgot something!" Nagisa ran upstairs, but right after hearing Shizuma's groan.

The book that Tamao lend her had completely slipped off her mind. Even though she hadn't finished reading the novel, she didn't think it was all exciting. She rummaged through her stuff until she heard Shizuma yell.

"I'm gonna leave without you. If you don't hurry up, you'll just have to find your own way to school!" She called out from downstairs, followed by a slam on the front door.

Nagisa found the book with a sigh of relief and quickly ran outside where she saw Shizuma running quickly now.

"Hanazono-sama...Please wait for me!"

Nagisa ran and finally caught up, thanks to Shizuma who stopped midway, panting heavily for breath.

The red-head giggled at the sight. "Hehe, you seem really unfit."

Shizuma smirked. "Hmph...says the one who's been really worried about their gaining weight." Shizuma started poking Nagisa's stomach, causing her to giggle uncontrollably.

"Ahaha... please stop. That really tickles." The red head tried to shoo away Shizuma's tickling fingers, but to not avail.

"Oh, right here is it?" She tickled her fingers more into Nagisa's stomach, making her cry and laugh at the same time.

A bell rang suddenly, causing the girls' head to turn to the distance of the sound.

"That's the warning bell," Shizuma stated.

"The-the warning bell? The-then we should hurry..." A picture of a nervous Nagisa entering to class on a late time, suddenly appeared in her mind. In the midst of the crowds of her envisioned world, were people giving her bad first impressions. "Eh...I don't want to be late."

"Hmm..." The silver-head wrapped her arms around Nagisa's waste and cooed softly in her ear, "I don't mind staying like this..."

Nagisa quickly turned red. "Hanazono-sama!" She tried to pull away, but Shizuma's arms were tightly gripped on her. "I-" The red head grabbed Shizuma's wrist instead and began running towards the school. "I really don't want to be late!"

* * *

Tamao's whole body was nervous and scared. She barely slept last night. It's been a day and half since Nagisa replied to her text message- the letter that has been written with her feelings of love for Nagisa. She scratched her deep blue hair in frustration as her black-purple eyes continue to show of fear.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts, she didn't even notice the teacher introducing a new transfer student.

"Everyone, this is..." Tamao looked out the window, clearly uninterested in the surroundings and people of her classroom. The only thing that that caught her attention was the dark-orange dyed leaves that slowly wither from the trees, making a sea of autumn on the wet ground. The scenery awfully reminded her of Nagisa; leaves that were somewhat similar to Nagisa's red head.

"Tamao-chan?" A familiar voice called out to her, which suddenly derailed away her train of thoughts. Tamao's head shot up quickly at the sound of her name. Standing before her, is her dear friend Nagisa.

Her eyes widened when she saw her. "Nagisa-chan!" The blue-head stood up from her chair in excitement and hugged her friend. The warmness of her friend reminded her, that what she was living in was not a dream.

"Tamao-chan, I'm so glad to be in the same class as you!" Her voice was joyous as always. The red-head hugged her friend tighter while a wave of whispers and murmurs traveled through the classroom.

"Do they know each other?"

"What are they doing?"

"They make a cute couple!"

The clamor continued to grow from the students until-

"AHEM!" The teacher spoke up, breaking the prattle in the classroom. "Aoi-san, please get to the assigned seat I instructed you too. I understand your enjoying your little reunion with your friend, but please, this is class time."

"I'll meet you later at lunch, okay?" Nagisa whispered to her friend before complying to the teacher.

Tamao nodded happily and sat down.

As the classes slowly drifted to lunch, the school bell rang, signaling it was time for a break.

It didn't take long for the two best friends to reunite again. They coincidentally met each other on the courtyard of the school.

"Nagisa-chan!"

"Tamao-chan!"

The two embraced each other again, earning quite a few stares by passersby.

"Oh, I have so much to tell you!" Nagisa started weeping on Tamao's chest. The hospitality of her best friend quickly made her forget that she ever was a maid, or how a mysterious woman owns her now, or how she ran away from home. The only thing that matters now is that she was in her best friend's arms. "I have so much to tell, I don't even know where to start!"

Tamao was eager for questions, but she held them back when she saw her friend crying. "Oh, Nagisa." She embraced her tighter, but gently.

"Well, I see your enjoying your little moment there." A voice called out, immediately interrupting the bestfriends' sweet reunion.

Their heads turned to where the voice came from and sure enough, there stood a familiar figure to Nagisa. It was Shizuma Hanazono- her posture showed of arrogance and arms crossed with a smirk of mischievousness.

"Whoever you are, please get your hands of _my _Nagisa." Shizuma tugged the red-head out of Tamao's grasp. "She's mine."

"Hanazono-sama..." was all Nagisa could breathed out when she was now in Shizuma's arms.

This scene earned a quite amount of stares. All eyes were on them, murmuring and whispering across the courtyard. Nagisa didn't care nor noticed it. All her attention was focused on the two women.

Tamao, however, couldn't even utter a single word. Nagisa could see confusion and bewilderment overcame her, just like it did to her when she broke the vase to open the pathway of becoming a maid to Shizuma. "Etoile-sama..." That was all she could draw in-much to Nagisa's perplexity.

'_Etoile? What?_' Nagisa was a confused as her best friend.

"That's Etoile-sama and Suzumi-san!" A person in the courtyard stated.

"Are they having a fight?" One asked.

"Etoile-sama looks beautiful and cool as always!" A group of blushing girls called out in admiration.

Nagisa's confusion continued to grow. What and who is this Etoile that they keep talking about?

The murmurs continued through the courtyard.

"Sayonara then," Shizuma waved and dragged Nagisa in tow, leaving everyone in utter bewilderment and gossip.

* * *

**A/N: Wooh, done. ^o^ **

**I know it's flawed, but please review and tell me how I could improve in the next chapter. Or give me your honest opinions on it. I love them reviews. :] **

**Oh and Sayonara=Farewell, Goodbye. I like to add in Japanese dialogues to throw in an atmosphere of 'anime.' 8D  
**

**Kay, I have to get off the computer now, cuz it's getting really late and my parents are getting mad. OMG ORZ. Kay, bye. D:**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I thought the previous chapter was a bit rushed. Sorry if it didn't satisfy you much. I know my writing's not the best in the world, but I'll try harder.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 4:**

The autumnal foliage surrounding them continued to leaf through the air while the gray sky began to lighten up into sky blue. The spot that Shizuma took Nagisa in the forest was desolated, but gave off a sense of tranquility. But that serenity in the air would be soon interrupted by-

"What the heck was that?" Nagisa crossed her arms in anger, demanding for an answer.

"No...the question's more like, _who _was that?" Shizuma replied calmly before sitting down against a tree.

"Eh? That was my friend, Tamao-chan!"

"Tamao..._chan_?" Shizuma repeated, emphasizing on the honorific.

"She's-she's my best friend..." Anger in Nagisa's eyes quickly melted into apparent admiration while she replied to her in a sudden tone of reverence. For a short while, a smile formed on her face but was quickly changed into an angry frown. "We were just fine on our own until you showed up!" Nagisa fumed. It's been awhile since she last saw her dear Tamao, and all this Shizuma could do was ruin it for them.

"Oh my..." Shizuma feigned a shocking face, which covered her mouth by her hand. "How dare do my maid speak to me like that!"

Nagisa could see a smirk coming on from Shizuma.

"Well, I'll just have to let that one slide, since you have such a cute face. Besides, I bet your friend didn't even prepare you a bento." She pulled out two sets of lunch boxes that was wrapped neatly in green cloth.

"Hmph. I don't want your food." Nagisa defiantly cocked her head to the side sat down on one of the sides of the trees so she wouldn't be facing her.

"Come now, don't be stubborn." Shizuma said, while chuckling lightly.

She moved closer, but Nagisa just crawled away from her.

"You know...I have cake," She mentioned teasingly.

Nagisa's head turned to her, which made Shizuma's smirk grow wider.

"Cake?" The anger in her eyes were quickly extinguished at the word.

The silver-head nodded. "Yes, cake. But you'll have to finish your lunch first if you want some dessert..." She leered subtlety at Nagisa while her tone of voice became soft and delicate.

"O-okay."

_'Heh, I won._' The triumphant silver-head quickly took out a pair of chopsticks and gave Nagisa a warm smile-hinting a bit of lasciviousness unbeknownst to the red-head.

"Umm...there's only one pair of chopsticks." She stated nervously, pointing at the said object.

"Well then, that means I'll just have to feed you."Shizuma smirked more lustfully-but not patent enough for Nagisa to recognize.

"Okay..." Nagisa said tentatively, fidgeting her fingers.

"Just say 'ahhh.'" Shizuma replied, still smirking, when she grabbed a small portion of tempura with the chopsticks.

Nagisa opened her mouth wide while Shizuma slowly motioned the chopstick.

'_Yes, that's it. Take it in. Take it in._' Shizuma perverse grin grew wider as the food finally reached to Nagisa's. The quick frame of Nagisa opening wide and chewing on the food quickly made her cuteness level ascend to the maximum and possible level there could be. Nagisa resembled that of a young innocent toddler while Shizuma induced every second to pure excitement.

"Umm...Hanazono-sama, your nose is bleeding." Nagisa's shy voice quickly jerked Shizuma from her stupor. which made the silver-beauty quickly take notice of the said matter. "Uhm...here." Nagisa grabbed a disposable handkerchief from the side pockets of her uniform, and handed it to Shizuma.

"Arigatou." She thanked softly, grabbed the offered item, and wiped the dripping blood off her nose.

After she was done, Shizuma unwrapped her bento and began to eat it.

Silence waved through the air.

"So..." Nagisa droned, dragging awkwardness with her. "Did you buy make those food or did the maid them for you?"

Shizuma smiled slightly. "Heh, no. I could barely cook. I bought these in the convenience store in town before waking you up." Shizuma grabbed a bite with her chopsticks while Nagisa tried to think up of more subject in the conversation. "You know, there's chopsticks here if you want." She pointed out, giving Nagisa a pair.

"Eh? But you said there's only one pair?" Confounded, Nagisa stared at the handed chopsticks.

"I did not say something like that. I just said I'll have to feed you," Shizuma shrugged while almost finishing her food. "Be grateful for that. Besides, I got to see your cute face."

Nagisa blushed and embarrassingly turned her head away from Shizuma. "Hanazono-sama..."

'_Wait, why am I blushing?_' Nagisa thought while Shizuma barely took notice. It's common for her friends, especially Tamao, to call her cute, but for her to blush from just that comment is really unlike her; she's used to her classmates, acquaintance, and friends back in public to call her that, so why? Maybe it's because it's Shizuma...

"You don't have to keep calling me by my last name. It gets really annoying," she sighed nonchalantly, taking the last bite of her bento. "Just call me by my first name."

"Then is Shizuma-sama fine?"

"Yes, that's better." Shizuma lit up a calm smile. "Well..." She stood up and gave Nagisa a slice of chocolate cake, wrapped neatly in plastic on a disposable plate. "Here's the cake I promised you. I'll see you later then. I have some Etoile duties to do." She walked away from the spot and promptly disappeared into the woods.

Nagisa was stuck between being frustrated, from forgetting to ask what an 'Etoile' actually is, and pure contentment, from the savory dessert that's sitting right in front of her. She decided to save the questions for later and dig into her cake with gusto.

* * *

When school was done, it didn't take long for Tamao to find Nagisa. The two embraced each other once again.

"Nagisa-chan! What are you doing here? And what are you doing with Shizuma-sama?" Tamao questioned, hugging her friend ever so tightly.

"I have so much to tell you, but I don't where to start..." Nagisa weeped, burying her head on her friend's chest, enjoying the warmness of it.

"Okay, just tell me from the very start." Tamao said, and with that, Nagisa told her all about her encounters. She rambled on about how she ran away from home, how she was almost attacked by a drunken man on the streets, and how she was saved by a mysterious woman, but not about the part about her being her maid.

"Nagisa, that was very dangerous! You could have gotten hurt!" Tamao scowled, which made Nagisa cringe.

"I know, I'm sorry," she said as the friends broke their hugs.

"But your story still didn't answer my question. Why are you here?"

"Oh, uhh..." Nagisa started fidgeting the hem of her uniform. "Well, I kinda got into a little debt with Shizuma-samaaa..." she started to mutter and drawl out her words, not wanting to tell her the rest of the story. "...so now I'm here."

"Eh? What was that? You could tell me everything, Nagisa-chan."

"No-nothing, it's just that I'm staying at Shizuma-sama's place now." She fiddled her thumbs restlessly.

"EH? Really? Why?"

"Ah...well...to put it simple..." The nervous red-head averted her friend's attentive gaze. "I'm actually her maid now. I accidentally broke an important vase of hers...so now I'm here." She told her friend, cringing occasionally.

"EH?" Tamao had the utmost bewildered face. "Nagisa-chan!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to break it."

Tamao sighed and formed a warm smile. "It's okay, Nagisa-chan. If you need any help with your work, just tell me okay? I'm just glad your here. Safe and sound." Tamao said gently, and hugged her friend again."But I still can't believe Etoile-sama did that!" The soft smile planted on her face quickly withered into a frown. "That was very rude of her to suddenly take you away from me!"

The word 'Etoile' suddenly rung into Nagisa's mind as she broke the hug. "Oh, Tamao-chan, I forgot to ask you something!"

"What is it Nagisa-chan?"

"What's an Etoile? I always hear you and the others call it to Shizuma-sama. What does it mean?"

Tamao thought for a moment with her pointer finger placed on her chin. "Well, Etoile's the representative in all of three schools here. And she's as-or more important than the Student Council Presidents. They're love and respected by all three schools as well." she explained.

"Eh?" Nagisa was flabbergasted. "So, so she's really important here?"

Tamao giggled and then nodded. "Yes. The duty of an Etoile is very important, especially with the constant rivalry between Miator and Spica. Etoile are loved and respected by all three schools as well." Tamao paused and thought for a moment. "Hmm... but now that I think about it...I haven't seen much of her, until now. She barely greets the student in the mornings, so it was bit of a surprise to suddenly see her."

"But, why is she living in the mansion in the forest?" Nagisa asked eagerly. "Why isn't she, like, living in the Strawberry Dorms like everyone else? Walking all the way here is such a drag."

Her best friend continued to ponder. "Hmm... I'm not sure but, I think it's something that have to do with her family back home. But those were rumors that I heard."

"Oh..."

"But, let's not talk about her." Tamao instantly smiled and grabbed Nagisa's wrist. "Let's have a tour around the academy. I don't want my little Nagisa-chan to get lost." She dragged Nagisa enthusiastically and ran towards Miator first.

* * *

After the tour was done, Nagisa and Tamao walked wearily, although talked lively, through the path to the Strawberry Dorms. Nagisa had learned a lot of stuff about the tour such as the schools, the history, and more scrupulous polices that must be followed. She had never thought private schools could be so strict.

"But, this place is really amazing!" Nagisa spoke, impressed after her friend explained about the abundant clubs available to join and other extracurricular activities. "My old school barely had those things. The pair continued to walk through the paved road; a myriad of autumn trees were set from the side, while everyone else- especially from the other three schools- also continued to walk and talk with their friends. But Nagisa didn't pay attention to those things. Her attention were all on her best friend. Although, she could spot occasional contemplations from her. Nagisa payed it no mind however.

Tamao giggled. "I'm also in the literature club, Nagisa-chan. If you want, you could come to my club meeting next week."

"Oh that's right...but, I'm not sure if writing's really my thing." Nagisa started to muse.

"Well, it would be really fun if you joined. And you could also improve your writing skills," she nodded.

"I guess I will." Nagisa smiled at her best friend as they continued to walk. "...but I have a lot of stuff do from now on after school. I don't think I'll be joining any clubs, since I'm in Shizuma-sama's debt now."

"Oh that's right." They both sighed.

"YAYA-SEMPAI! Why don't you just stop?" An irritated girl's voice suddenly called out from the side of the path. They both turned their heads and saw a young pompous pink-haired girl scowling at person much older than she is. The upperclassman just ignored her and continued to walk about her path. Her long black hair swayed along with the wind while an impish smirk continued to form on her face.

"Why don't you just leave me alone?" She replied back, obviously gloating at the spectacle of the younger girl getting more annoyed.

The first thing Nagisa noticed from them is that they're wearing different uniforms as hers. The older girl was wearing a white elegant blazer completed by brown bowtie hanging loosely on her collar and a short skirt with stockings hugging her legs. The younger one's attire was loosely the same as her senpai's- the only difference was that she was wearing a cream-coloured baggy sweater and a headband atop her long pink hair. Nagisa thought they had very cute uniforms, but Tamao just eyed the situation with an intermixture of amusement and concern.

"You know what? Hikari-sempai deserves every right of privacy on her date with Amane-sempai right now! And all you can do is to pry in and ruin it for them? It's bad enough that the massive swooning fangirls are stalking every moment they spend time together!" The younger girl yelled ferociously, causing attention from bystanders.

Her sempai merely sneered. "My, do you really care for Hikari-chan that much?"

"Of course I do!" She yelled, putting her hands on her sides when the black-haired stopped on her trail to sneer at her.

"So you admit you have a crush on her?"

"Wha-" The pink-haired contorted a face of utter bewilderment. "O-of-of-of course-n"

"-Of course you do? Heh, while you your at it, why don't you join a threesome with them? And while your at it, let me take pictures of it and post those pics up on the internet. Creeps lurking around the internet loves them porn. Especially those loser fanboys who are into yuri and girl-on-girl actio-"

"BA-BAKA!" The younger girl, flustered in embarrassment, vigorously kicked her sempai on the rear-end. "What the hell is wrong with you? Don't say such things! You know, you've been acting really weird lately, I've noticed."

"Hey! That really hurts! Treat your sempai with respect you little twerp!" She retorted while patting the back of her skirt.

Tamao, with Nagisa following her, approached the two bickering people.

"Hello, Yaya-san, Tsubomi-chan." She waved and gave a smile at them.

"Ah- Tamao-sempai." The pink-haired girl- which Nagisa guessed as Tsubomi- bowed her head at the two. "Konnichiwa."

"Wassup, Tamao? Anything new from your school?" The black haired girl- Yaya said. "Oh, hey." She greeted Nagisa when she took noticed at her. "Your the new girl, right?" Her eyes examined her up and down, while her hand rubbed her chin with an observing expression. "Yup, yup. Your Shizuma-sama's plaything alright." She nodded. "I've heard the rumors about the new student. Nagisa Aoi-san, was it? Tamao talks a lot about you."

"Ah-well, eh..." Tamao blushed lightly but continued on with her speech. "Well, this is Yaya Nanto and Tsubomi Okuwaka, Nagisa-chan. They're from Spica."

From the myriads of phone conversations she and Tamao had, Nagisa had remembered that Tamao also have friends with a group of people from the other schools. Her best friend talked about them, occasionally when it comes up, when Nagisa sometimes asks how Tamao's day went. It seems these two people always brings eventfulness in Tamao's day.

"Nice to meet you, Nanto-san and Okuwaka-san." Nagisa bowed her head.

"Nice to meet you, Aoi-sempai." The little girl bowed her head in return. "Your in the 4th year right?"

"Ahh, yeah, I am. And your in...?"

"First-year."

"And, I'm in the same grade as you, Nagisa-san." Yaya spoke up."Just call me by my first name. It seems formal people like you always call other people by their last name."

"Uh..hai."

"Well then, everyone. Let's have tea at my room. I have sweets too, Nagisa-chan." Tamao smiled and with that- the group headed to the Strawberry Dorms. Although with constant arguments from Yaya and Tsubomi.

* * *

**A/N: I'll wrap it up at that. :D I didn't really rush this chapter just like I did with the previous one. **

**If it seemed obvious that I rushed in Chap3, sorry. I'll try harder. D: If not, then okay. ^_^ I'll try harder anyways. :]**

**Please Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks for all the people reviewed/like/alerted my stories. They really help me keep writing and know that other people are also reading my stories. T^T **

**Kay, next chapter you guys. :]**

* * *

**Chapter 5:  
**

Tamao's room looked really comforting. A single bed was neatly folded, the floor was free from clutters, and a writing desk, filled with orderly stacks of papers, novels and textbooks, sat next to the window.

Tamao, Yaya, Tsubomi and Nagisa all sat down in front of a small circular table to put their tea-set and snacks on.

"So, what were you fighting about in the first place?" Tamao asked, sipping her tea.

"I was just checking up on Hikari-chan, you know?" Yaya replied, taking a sip on her herb tea as well.

"Yaya-sempai shouldn't stick her nose on other people's business," Tsubomi started which earned an irritated glare from Yaya.

But before Yaya could retort back, Tamao spoke up. "Amane-sempai is pretty trustworthy, Yaya-chan. What are you so worried about?"

Yaya sighed. "It's not that I don't trust her. I told you, I just wanted to see her. I wasn't even going to ruin anything." The black-haired girl leaned back and closed her eyes.

"But you should still mind your own business." The pink-haired girl told her after taking a bite on a cookie.

"Your the one to speak!"

Nagisa could only stand back as the heated ire between the two begin to seethe into a boiling point. "Ahaha..." Nagisa laughed uneasily, hoping it would release the tension between the two. "Maybe you guys should calm down."

"It's no use." Tamao patted Nagisa's shoulders and shook her head in a sagely fashion. "It's always like this." Tamao smiled and handed Nagisa a piece of shortcake. "Here, you should try this."

The red-head grinned and took a bite at the given shortcake.

'_Maybe this isn't so bad after all,_' Nagisa thought happily while the other two Spican girls bicker to each other more.

"Umm, Nagisa-chan?" Tamao called.

"Yes?"

"Did you, umm..." she gulped. "Did you get my text message on your...phone?"

"AH! That one! Sorry Tamao-chan, I forgot to bring my phone," Nagisa apologized.

"Ah okay..." She chuckled lightly, as if in relief, and then had the most biggest smile Nagisa had ever seen. "Yokatta..."

"What is Tamao-chan? Was there something important you sent to me?" Nagisa asked, confused.

"No it's just that..." she scratched the back of her head nervously, averting Nagisa's gaze. "I'll get it for you, okay? And I'll also tell your mom and dad about what happened," She said and held Nagisa's hand. "I know it's hard..."

"Thank you, Tamao-chan!" Nagisa hugged her friend, paying no attention on the heated argument on the other side.

_

* * *

"_Mmm, that was really good and refreshing," Nagisa said loudly to herself as she went back to Shizuma's house. If she remembered correctly, it should be around 4pm. The sun was still shining over the thick autumn trees.

"I hope I don't get lost though," she said after finally noticing how easily the trees could lead her into. "Oh well."

She then began skipping sprightly and started to whistle cheerful tunes she could think off.

"ETOILE-SAMA!"

Nagisa stopped in her caper when she heard the name. Curious to see what's it about, she followed the voice further into the deep woods by entering in the cracks of the trees nearby.

"No, please don't," the voice this time was more of a pleading whisper, followed by rustling of nearby bushes. Nagisa could faintly hear it, which tells her she's close to the source of the sounds.

And after countless steps, she saw it.

Shizuma was on top of a Miator girl, gripping on one of her wrists while running her hands through her hair.

"Do you like that?" Shizuma whispered to her after kissing her neck lustfully.

The stranger just laid there, blushing profusely as Shizuma began to unbutton her collar.

"No, Etoile-sama," the girl begged after Shizuma caressed her breast. "We've already done it twice."

The silver-beauty smirked. "...but you like it." She gave her a chaste kiss on the stranger's lips, which suddenly startled Nagisa.

She had never seen such a lecherous scene in all fifteen years of her life. All she could do was quietly stand there, as if she's watching a movie unfold to the climax of the plot.

As Shizuma began to open-mouth kiss the girl, Nagisa came closer, anticipating for something spicy. But as she took a step forward, a twig cracked under her feet- breaking the exciting moment between the two lovers.

Shizuma broke the kiss and shot her head upwards.

'_Aw, crap._' Nagisa panicked and made a break for it. She ran as fast a she could so Shizuma wouldn't catch her peeking on their little escapade and then punish poor Nagisa in an unbelievable perverse manner she could never have thought off.

When Nagisa felt like she ran a good distance away from the pair, she stopped in her tracks and thanked herself for being so physically fit. Taking a deep breathe in the air and leaning against her knees, she now wondered where she is now. Nagisa mentally slapped herself for running blindly in the woods.

"Can I help you with something?" A sudden voice called out to her, which made Nagisa's head cock upwards towards the source.

In front of her is a girl, carrying the most friendliest smile she had ever seen.

What Nagisa first noticed was the girl's attire. It was different from Miator and Spica; a checkered skirt with long sleeved cream coloured jacket was what she was donning while a pair of red ribbons hung on the girl's long raven hair. Behind her was a younger girl staying aback with a teddy-bear clutched tightly into her arms. The younger girl's dark-honey curly hair flew with the wind, her green jaded eyes watching Nagisa inquisitively.

Out in the distance is a building she had never seen before. It loomed towards her while other girls with the same uniforms as the girls in front of her talked lively to each other.

'_They must be from Lulim._' Nagisa thought after piecing it together.

"Oshibaru says she's lost," the younger spoke up after facing her teddy bear.

"Oh really? Ah, I think I might know who you are! Are you Nagisa Aoi? New Student?" Her friendly grin grew wider.

"Yeah, I got lost along the way." Nagisa said while scratching the back of her head. "Aha...will you help me?"

"Ah, no worries!" She clapped her hands together and said cheerfully, "We'll show you away out of here. Right now, you're in Lulim."

"Ah, arigatou!" Nagisa bowed her head thankfully.

"I'm Chikaru Minamoto, student council president of Lulim. It's my job, so it's no problem." Chikaru gestured the red-head to follow while the younger girl held Chikaru's hand with her other hand. "And this is Kagome."

Kagome buried part of her shy face on her teddy-bear and then firmly gripped Chikaru's hand nervously. "Chikaru-oneesama..." the younger girl whispered timidly, eying Nagisa uneasily, as if she bites like a dog.

"Don't worry, Kagome-chan. I'm sure she's really friendly." Chikaru chuckled and gave back a light squeeze on the little girl's hand.

"Do I really look that intimidating?" Nagisa asked, laughing and scratching the back of her head again.

"Haha, no. Not really," Chikaru chuckled back as the trio made their way to the entrance of the school. "It's just that Kagome-chan is a little..." before she could finish her statement, her eyes wandered of to the little girl, gazing at her sincerely.

'_...Hmmm, maybe they're siblings..._' Nagisa thought when she noticed how the two seemed really intimate to each other.

"Ah, sorry about that!" Chikaru apologized after breaking her unrequited stare. "Heh heh, so, this is Lulim's entrance," she pointed at the gate in front them. "This will lead you to Asterea Forest and then to Shizuma-sama's house. Be careful not to get lost."

"I hope so..." Nagisa stared at the forest while the sun was preparing to set. "I really don't want to get lost in the woods. Especially during this time."

Chikaru laughed. "Here's a little tip. Just pay attention to where the branches from the trees points to. They'll tell you where to go. Except every of the fourth tree you come across to. Don't worry about them, just keep following your direction until the next branches come up in your tracks. If you don't you'll get lost just like Link did when he was in the Forest Realm."

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Just follow my tip and you'll see what I mean. 'Kay?" Chikaru winked.

"Ah..okay, thank you."

"It's almost curfew, so we'll see you later." She waved a goodbye which Nagisa waved back to.

"Thank you, and it was nice to meet you!" Nagisa bowed before Chikaru left, with Kagome still holding her hand.

* * *

"Oh, I get it now!" Nagisa exclaimed after following Chikaru's advice. It turns out, every branches of the trees coincidentally points to the direction of Shizuma's house- except for every fourth one. "Gee, there sure is nice people here. Oh, there it is!"

And there it was. The familiar building of Shizuma's loomed over the distance.

"Yokatta!" Nagisa sighed in relief and ran towards the house.

Hints of twilight time showed in the sky, and Nagisa was more than glad that she made it all in one piece before complete nightfall.

When she arrived near the house, Nagisa's mood, however, was quickly ruined by an impatient Shizuma sitting irritably on the front porch.

"Where the hell have you been?"

* * *

**A/N: So it's Friday night in Canada and I really wanted to update this. Any correction grammar, constructive criticism, or plain reviews are wholeheartedly welcome! :D**

**Oh and there was a small reference there with Chikaru. :3 I'm sure most of you can spot where it came from. :D  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

"Where the hell have you been?" Shizuma asked sternly, her posture akimbo.

"I-" Nagisa was frightened by the mood of Shizuma that she could barely utter a word.

"You were suppose to be back here thirty-minutes ago. No- before I even get here."

"I'm sorry..."

"Well, whatever... she turned her back and said, "You'll make dinner for me. Since you're my maid now."

She entered the house and Nagisa followed. She sat on one of the chairs in the kitchen and Nagisa started to wash her hand in the sink.

"What do I make?" Nagisa asked when opening the pantry.

"Anything. As long as it's good..." she responded laconically while she began reading a book.

"Uhmm..."

"What's wrong? Can't cook?"

"No, well...I can't really make anything with this..." Nagisa pointed out nervously when she examined every nook and cranny of the cabinets, pantry, and refrigerator for ingredients she could use.

Shizuma sighed irritably. "Well, you should've done the grocery beforehand."

"But-but- I wasn't even-"

"Whatever, let's eat out tonight," she put her book down, stood up from her chair, and gently grabbed Nagisa by the wrist.

"Where are we going?" Nagisa asked as she was being dragged down to the door.

"Eat."

* * *

The restaurant had all kinds of varieties to choose from. The place was nice, but not exactly fancy. It was loaded with people but Nagisa and Shizuma took a very good table.

Nagisa was sitting across Shizuma as the silvered beauty smiled at her softly, with a hint of mischief and amusement.

"You've been a bad girl today, Nagisa-chan," she smirked.

Nagisa was taken aback at the sudden change of Shizuma's mood that she didn't even respond to her. But at least she wasn't exactly mad or annoyed, so she was a bit glad.

Shizuma laughed softly. "This place is nice, ne? There's lots of hot girls and stuff."

'_Hot girls?_' Nagisa thought incredulously. Earlier today, she just saw her mingling with another girl, and now she's talking about other women?

"Mmm...almost better as the ones in the Strawberry Dorms. It's too bad I don't live there," she sighed dreamily after she saw a very attractive waitress taking orders on an other table.

"But, why don't you?" Nagisa asked.

"Huh?"

"Oh, sorry... I didn't mean to pry..." she laughed nervously.

Shizuma smiled and answered, "It's fine. It's just that my father doesn't want me living there. They think I'm uhh..."

But before she could finish her answer, the waitress came with their orders. Shizuma ogled at her as she leaned on the table, putting the food down and giving Shizuma a nice view of her cleavage.

"Arigatou..." she thanked in a seductive tone, making the waitress blush as she returned to her station in the kitchen.

As soon as Nagisa saw the plate full of food, she dug ravenously. All her attention was on her glorious offerings while Shizuma chuckled in amusement at her.

* * *

When they finished eating, Nagisa and Shizuma headed out to the park.

The night was dark and the air was balmy. A couple of streetlights loomed through the path while the girls walked silently on the stoned pavement. The leaves of the trees hiding in the dark were almost gone- hinting a bit of winter in the scrawny branches.

Shizuma said that this was a shortcut to the Asterea Hill- a much more shorter way, but from the looks of how dark it can get, it can get a bit dangerous. Especially when creeps could lurk around in the corners.

Shizuma just walked quietly, musing while her eyes wandered through the night sky.

"Uhh, so..." Nagisa couldn't think of any topic to break the silence between them. And then, as if it suddenly came out of her mouth, she blurted out slowly, "I saw you in the forest...with another girl..."

Shizuma's deep contemplation in her eyes faltered slightly. And, in the corners of lips- twitched into a smirk.

"So that was you, huh?" She smiled impishly at her and then grabbed Nagisa's wrist with great strength. "Nagisa-chan, have you ever had you're first kiss?"

Nagisa panicked inwardly as Shizuma started to close the distance between them and breath lustfully on her. "We-well, no..." she responded embarrassingly.

"You've been a bad girl for peeping on us," she purred slowly, nibbling on her ear. "I'll be glad to take away your first kiss as punishment..."

"Shizuma-sama..." was all Nagisa could breathe out as she began feeling hot. '_No, this is a girl. Girls aren't suppose to kiss other girls..._' she thought as the words raided her mind.

"Hehe..." She leaned in and gently kissed Nagisa's forehead.

As soon as Shizuma's lips touched her, Nagisa's stomach dropped. Her body felt weak all of a sudden making her temperature arise. Her head started to spin madly. It was like she was trapped inside a tumultuous hurricane while being paralyzed with shock. The darkness engulfed her vision and then she fell unconscious on the ground.

* * *

As the mad pounding woke Nagisa up, she opened her eyes, revealing her surroundings. She was in one of Shizuma's rooms. Well, her room to be precise.

"Geez, you're so weak." A voice called out beside her.

Shizuma was sitting on a chair next to the bed, glaring at her in an annoyed way.

"I-I'm sorry," Nagisa apologized.

"You've been causing trouble ever since." She sighed and got up from her chair. She started to leave the room, but only stopping in the doorway to say, "Well, goodnight..."

"Wait."

"What?"

"I'm sorry..." Nagisa said, averting her gaze in shame. "I've been such a great burden to you." She paused, finding the right words while fiddling with her fingers. "I-I promise to work harder."

Nagisa couldn't see it as her head was down, but Shizuma tossed a smile over her shoulder.

"Goodnight, Nagisa-chan."

* * *

**A/N: Review, you guys~ = W = They help me work faster. :3**

**I know this was a bit short, but it was intended that way. - o - I'm trying to kick in the plot more faster. And finish it by Christmas or somewhere around that. :3**

** Review~ **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: **

It was raining...again.

Nagisa was walking with Shizuma, getting to their morning classes, while all sorts of people from other grades would shower Shizuma with friendly greetings.

"Wow, you sure are popular!" Nagisa said after the myriads of 'good-mornings' she was getting. "I was never popular back in my old school."

Shizuma chuckled lightly. "Well, I am Etoile after all. Speaking of which, I have duties to do."

With that, she trotted off into her own direction, leaving Nagisa to go to her classes.

She had Home Economics today. With Tamao. Just the thought of that made her smile. Maybe she can secretly cook a little something for her and surprise her with it.

Or she could cook cookies for Shizuma. Maybe she would like that...

* * *

When lunch came around, Nagisa had a batch of cookies in her hands. It was wrapped in cloth and ready to be handed in to a special someone.

"So, who're you giving your cookies to, Nagisa-chan?" Tamao asked. "Any crushes you have?"

Nagisa giggled. "This is an All-Girls school. I can't imagine myself with a woman."

"But it never hurts to have some admiration for someone. Now, who are you giving it to?"

'_Shizuma..._' was the answer. She made a promise that she would do her best from now on. Even though Shizuma could be a little scary at times, she's really not that bad of a person. "I'm not really sure. I might as well just eat it," Nagisa lied, avoiding Tamao's gaze.

"But you already have that wrapped up as a gift. You ARE giving it to someone! Come on, tell me~" Tamao pleaded with her hands crossed.

"Secret..."

Tamao sighed and gave up instead, earning a slight giggle of triumph from Nagisa.

They headed to the cafeteria where there were tons of people chatting with each other and eating their lunches and desserts. They sat down on a table as Nagisa's amazement continued to grow at the different varieties of food she's seeing.

"Sugoi!" Nagisa exclaimed when she was treated to strawberry deluxe shortcake. "Wowie!"

Tamao giggled. "Hehe, Nagisa-chan. You're like a little kid."

As soon as she took a bite at her cake, it felt as if the savory taste put her into a euphoric heaven. "Mmm...delicious..."

Tamao's amusement grew and took a bite at her cake as well. "It is,"

Nagisa wanted to say how delicious it is again, but her voice was drowned out by the incessant chatter of the cafeteria.

"Hey, hey, did you see that? Shizuma-sama's face looked so beautiful when I gave her my cookies!" One girl said excitedly.

"Shizuma-sama is always beautiful!"

"I think she liked _my _cookies better!"

The nearby girls continued to giggle.

"Wow..." Nagisa mused when she noticed the fangirls. "Shizuma-sama really is popular..."

"Of course she is." Tamao nodded after taking another bite.

Just then, a blue-haired woman walked into the room. Her expression was stoic and unamused at the uncontrollable noise rising in the cafeteria.

"Iyaaah! Look, there's Miyuki-sama right now!" One fangirl called out to her friend. "Why don't you give her your cookies?"

"Everyone, please. Quiet down." Miyuki said when a cluster of swooning girls came up to her and gifted her some cookies.

"Here's for you, Miyuki-sama," they said.

Nagisa pondered at the scene. "Who's that?"

"Hm? Oh her? She's Rokujou-sama," Tamao replied. "I was going to give her the cookies I made, but it looks like everyone's already at it. Maybe she won't even like it anymore," she sighed.

Nagisa beamed a smile. "Really? So you like her?"

Tamao blushed lightly. "Ahm well. No, not really. It's just that she really works hard for this school."

"EH? But you should go for it! The cookies you make are really amazing! I'm sure she would like it."

Tamao grinned and scratched the back of her head in flattery. "I bet she doesn't even know me, so..."

"But Tamao-chan, you should!"

Before Nagisa could press on her friend any longer, a voice interrupted them.

"Hey, 'sup?" Yaya greeted while Tsubomi sat down with them.

"Hello, Tsubomi-chan. Yaya-chan," Tamao greeted while Nagisa waved.

"Konnichiwa."

"So, those fangirls are up sexing on Miyuki-sama, huh?" Yaya turned around to ogle at the attractive girls."Mmm...I want one of those..."

Tsubomi jabbed at her. "Yaya-sempai!"

"Um, So, where's Hikari-chan today?" Tamao asked before any argument would arise. "Is she with Amane-sempai again?"

Yaya grimaced at the name and her perversity quickly diminished. "Oh. Yeah she is..."

"I saw her yesterday. She seems really happy now, huh?" Tamao said.

"It's really loud in here." Yaya remarked, trying to change the subject.

"We can go to my room again. It's quiet there."

And with that, they headed to her room.

* * *

"This tea's good." Tsubomi said.

"Thanks, it's mint," Tamao replied while taking out a novel to read. "I'm glad you like it."

"Mmm, oishii-desu..." Nagisa dreamily said after biting on Tamao's cookie that she cooked in Home Ecs.

Yaya just stared silent at the window outside.

The leaves were withering outside as the pounding of rain softened up.

Tsubomi just arched a skeptical eyebrow at her. "Why are you so quiet, Yaya-sempai?"

"Hmm? Nothing..." she took a sip at her tea. "I was just wondering if Hikari-chan was alright."

A knock on the door interrupted them.

"Come in~" Tamao called.

The door gently swung open, revealing Miyuki, from earlier, standing there.

"Rokujou-sama?"

"Ah? Is that you Suzumi-san?" Miyuki said.

Tamao was slightly taken aback that she knew her name. "Eh...yeah. What brings you here?"

"I'm looking for Aoi-san, the new transfer student. AH! There you are." Miyuki noticed Nagisa. "I'm Rokujou Miyuki. I've heard Shizuma from you."

'_Shizuma talks about me?_' Nagisa was a bit shock at that. "Well, uh... nice to meet you then, Rokujou-sama," she bowed. "What can I do for you?"

"I hate to ask, but...do you know where Shizuma-sama could be? It seems people have seen you with her earlier. She hasn't been doing her Etoile-duties lately," she sighed, shaking her head in disapproval. "What an idiot she is. It's always like this. Always running off and chasing girls...what a pain, indeed."

'_Chasing girls? Hasn't been doing her duties?' _Nagisa thought angrily_, 'So Shizuma lied?_' Nagisa paused to think. If she can find her, maybe she could tell her off to do her responsibilities properly. "OH! I think I might know where she could be!"

"You do? That's great. Tell me and I could go look for-" but before she could finish her statement, Nagisa sped off out of the room and into whereabouts unknown.

Tamao giggled. "Well, there she goes. Maybe she'll find her."

"I was about to say that I was going to look for her instead," she sighed.

"No need to be reserved. If you want, you could sit down and have tea with us."

Miyuki gave a soft smile. "That would be nice. Thank you."

* * *

Nagisa was glad that the rain stopped. Otherwise, she would have been soaked and possibly caught a cold. The air was crisp, though. The wind cut through her Miator uniform as she ran through the the woods.

How could Shizuma lie about not doing her responsibilities? And with all the people respecting and admiring her?

Nagisa slapped the twiggy branches out of the way and continued to run. She was probably in the place where Shizuma took her in the forest yesterday. Or at her house. But going to her house was a bit of a walk, so she's heading to the place in woods instead.

When she had arrived to her destination, her guess was proven right. She hid behind a tree as she saw Shizuma mingling with another woman. Again. Their wet uniforms stuck to their skins from the early rain and their hair was disheveled and wet.

The woman giggled and buttoned up her collars. "I'll see you later then, Shizuma-sama."

Shizuma gave her a goodbye kiss and she left.

The silvered-beauty chuckled to herself contently while fixing her ruffled wet hair.

It was then that Nagisa came out behind the trees and make her presence aware in front of her. "AHEM!"

Shizuma looked up and saw Nagisa's posture akimbo. "Oh yes? What do you want? Did you stalk me here? If you want to be one of my lovers, then I'm already taken with lots of hot women."

Nagisa's expression grimaced more. "What are you doing?"

"Doing what?"

"This! Didn't you say you were the Etoile? Didn't you say you were doing your responsibilities as Etoile?" Nagisa yelled. "Was that all lies?"

Shizuma avoided her gaze and sighed. "That's none of your business. And even if they are lies, what of it?"

Nagisa stood in silence as her brow furrowed. She wasn't sure how she could approach this, but she braced herself in confidence. are "You know... for the past one and a half days I've been here, I've noticed people really looking up to you," Nagisa started, her voice full of intensity. "You shouldn't lose their admiration from you, nor should you delude that kind of image. People really like you a lot here. They really care about you."

Shizuma stared at her, her expression was unreadable to Nagisa. As the red-head finds the right words to continue her speech, she couldn't help but think what she's thinking. She only gazed attentively at her.

"You know, it takes a great deal of work to earn higher respect from someone you barely know. I remembered myself being not so clever with the younger middle-school students," She said. "Don't ignore it or set up a fake image of it," Nagisa squatted in front of her, and nervously grabbed her soft hand. She caressed it. It was cold, like how she stared at her before when she had first met her. "Be the Etoile that everyone so deeply admires, Shizuma-sama..."

Shizuma's mouth was slightly agape.

A sharp wind blew, dragging a few strands of the silver-beauty's hair. Nagisa saw a bit of small astonishment deep inside her stare. She tried hard not to get lost in her pools of emerald as her crimson eyes tried to analyze more of what she's thinking about.

After the ringing silence, Shizuma averted their deep eye contact and stood up. "Fine, I'll do it."

Upon hearing these words, Nagisa grinned up at her and stood up. "You will?"

"Yes..." Shizuma's lips tugged into a grin and smiled at her. A soft smile. None of which that evokes lust. But a smile that contains rectitude and honesty. "I promise. Just for you."

Nagisa was going to give her a hug, but Shizuma leaned closer to her, making her blush. "Shizu-"

Before she could finish, Shizuma brushed the red bangs off Nagisa and planted a warm kiss on her forehead.

"Eh?" Nagisa quickly bent her neck, hoping Shizuma wouldn't see her red, embarrassed face. "I-I'm glad then..." she managed to stutter while her cheeks were turning red as her hair.

Shizuma chuckled a bit. "Well if you need me, I'll be in my office."

She gave her a warm smile before disappearing into the thick trees.

* * *

**A/N: I had a bit of writer's block on this one. -_- **

**Anyways, any grammar corrections or mistakes you could point out are greatly appreciated.  
**

**Leave a review before you go. :B  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: This chapter is set on the day after the day that was on the previous chapter. :) I don't know if that made any sense. ._.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 8  
**

Tamao stood outside the doorway of the Aoi residence. Voices arguing over financial matters and whatnot could be heard from the inside, making Tamao more nervous. Bracing herself and taking a deep breath, she knock loudly on the door, in hope Nagisa's parents would hear it.

After Tamao knocked again, the voices died down, followed by rumbling footsteps coming her way. The doorknob turned and the door swung ajar, revealing a halved face of Nagisa's mother in the other side. From the small crevice, Tamao could see there were bags and unshed tears under her eye as it stared wearily at her presence.

"Tamao-san? Is that you?" Her voice was rasp and hinted of tiredness.

"Mrs. Aoi!" Tamao straightened up, expecting an explanation of Nagisa's runaway from her mother.

"Tamao-chan! I'm glad to see you." She swung the door all the way and grab Tamao for a hug. "I have no idea where Nagisa could be! I woke up the other day and all of a sudden she disappeared! Oh, I want my Nagisa back!" She subconsciously hugged Tamao tighter and let her tears flow from her eyes.

"Mrs. Aoi...I can't breathe..."

"Oh, I'm sorry..." she broke from the embrace and led Tamao to the living room. "Would you like some tea?"

"Yes, that would be nice."

They sat down on the couch across each other and gave her a cup from the teaset that was sitting on the coffee-table in front of them.

"Now, if you know the whereabouts of Nagisa, please tell us. We're very worried about her. We tried calling your cellphone but you weren't answering," she explained gravely. "We were about to call the police, but I have to confirm if she's with you or not."

"Mrs. Aoi..." Tamao wanted to trail off the subject first. One of the reasons she came here is to get Nagisa's phone and she's determined to do so. "Have you tried calling Nagisa's cell?"

"Oh, that! We were about to, but when I searched her room, it seems she forgot it," she sighed and pulled out a pink cellphone that apparently belongs to Nagisa. "Oh, that Nagisa..." Nagisa's mother buried her face in her hands, almost shedding out tears. "I just want her back..."

Tamao leaned and patted the woman's back, trying to console her. "Mrs. Aoi, Nagisa is safe right now."

"Really? Where is she now?" Her mood lightened up a bit.

"Umm...she's uh..." If Nagisa's parents ever found out about Nagisa's debt with Shizuma, Tamao's sure they would wrangle out more than ever. It's bad enough they have a burden of financial matters in their hands. Tamao just have to think of a lie. "She's staying with me."

The woman smiled slightly upon hearing these words. "Really? So she's really alright? Aren't you staying in the dorms?"

"She's uhh..."

Nagisa's mother eyed her intently, oblivious of the made-up lies, as Tamao thought of a way to skirt herself out of this situation.

"She's staying with my cousin. That's what I meant to say. Uhm, It's close to the school, so I can check up on her anytime," she nervously stated.

The woman rose her head and grinned. "Oh, then thank you."

Tamao sighed in relief when realizing she bought it.

"I hope she's not causing you any trouble," the woman wearily beamed an apologetic smile at her. "I'm really sorry for this kind of shelter she's having. I understand why she ran away. It's just that the stock market is going downhill lately. And the company my husband is working for isn't doing so well. Sometimes, he would always come home drunk and complain about anything in this house. So, I'm really glad she's safe. Thank you, Tamao-san. I really appreciate it."

"No problem." She grinned back and attempted to slyly grabbed the phone off the woman's hands. "I'll see you later then."

With that, she dashed off the house, in relief that she finally got a hold of Nagisa's phone.

"Wait, Tamao-san!" Nagisa's mother called out, only to fall on blind ears as Tamao waved a goodbye to her.

"See you later then, Mrs. Aoi!"

* * *

It's a Saturday.

Sunlight filtered through the curtains of the windows as Nagisa finally awoke from her slumber. She sat upright and rubbed her wearisome eyes. Squinting, she read the the clock beside her which read that is was already noon. Exactly 12PM. Realizing the lateness of a maid's supposed duty, she immediately bolted from her bed and walked downstairs, expecting an impatient Shizuma to cook breakfast for her. Or supposedly, lunch. But, surprisingly, she was not there. Not a speck of her was seen after Nagisa thoroughly checked the house.

'_Maybe she's still in school, doing paperworks..._' Nagisa thought.

But the thought quickly hit her head, like a speeding baseball. '_Still in school...'_ meant Shizuma still hasn't returned home since last night. And returning home since last night meant that she hadn't had her dinner. And not having her dinner meant a hungry and possibly disgruntled Shizuma.

She went to the kitchen and got to work. She's glad she did the groceries yesterday, when she told Shizuma off, otherwise she wouldn't have made anything.

Shizuma's probably working her hardest right now, and it's only fair that Nagisa works hard too.

* * *

"Ahh...finally done..." Tamao sighed in relief after pressing the 'DELETE' button in Nagisa's cell. The unread text message containing her feelings of love were finally obliterated, just by one press of the button. And that deleted text message will forever, remain lost and unread.

Tamao leaned her back against the wall next to her dorm room. If Nagisa comes by her way, then she would definitely hand over her cell without the feeling of cautiousness. Pressing that one button with her thumb was like easily lifting off a heavy burden that was unfortunately bestowed upon her shoulders.

She blankly stared at the corridor and let her thoughts roam free inside her head. She already know she loves Nagisa, but now she's questioning about it more. Nagisa is like a sister to her. She's her best friend. If Shizuma ever done anything bad to her, she would sure beat her ass up. But hopefully, she wouldn't. And she's glad that Nagisa spent her time with her yesterday, and not with Shizuma. It kinda bothered her whenever Nagisa mentions about Shizuma. Kinda like...jealousy.

"Tamao-oneesama?" A soft, familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.

Tamao turned her head and saw two girls in particular. One was easy to spot out as she had a teddy-bear in her hands. It was Kagome, and standing next to her was a familiar underclassman that was the same age as Kagome's. She quickly discerned the familiar short blue hair and soft uncertain eyes that were staring at her.

"Chiyo-chan! You're back!" She gave the girl a hug and embraced her lovingly. "How was your vacation in America?"

"Oh, it was fun!" The girl exclaimed cheerfully as she grinned up at her. "I had lots of fun. But..."

"Yes?"

"I really missed Tamao-oneesama," she giggled. "And also my friends here."

"Well, that's nice," she said happily. "How are you, Kagome-chan? And Oshibaru-kun?"

"Hello..." Kagome greeted with a calm smile. "And Oshibaru says hi too."

"That's nice. Where's Chikaru-sama today?"

"Oshibaru says she's out with Shion-sama..." Kagome answered.

Tamao smiled at the girl's growing cuteness and also at the warmth of Chiyo's embrace.

"Tamao-chan!" Another familiar voice called out.

She saw Nagisa coming her way through the hallway, her arms wide open for a hug.

"Nagisa-chan?"

"Oh, I'm so glad to see you!" Nagisa tackled her to a hug.

"Nagisa-chan, what are you doing here?" She asked after they pulled away from their embrace.

Nagisa giggled and pulled out a bento. "I have to drop this off for Shizuma-sama..."

"Oh, it smells good."

"Yep. Well, bye then! See you later," she waved at the group and ran off.

As her retreating back diminished in the hallway, Chiyo couldn't help but stare. Tamao giggled after noticing her intent gaze and how she forgot to give her her phone.

"Who was that, Oneesama?" Chiyo asked.

"That's Nagisa-chan~"

* * *

Signs of diligence showed in the office by the completed paperworks that was devotedly done last night. Shizuma was slumped in her office desk, sleeping peacefully, while the beams of sunlight shone upon her graceful face and the disheveled silver hair that was pooling on her desk.

A knock on the door interrupted the tranquility in the air, which caused Shizuma to wake from her slumber.

"Come in..." she groggily muttered. As she rubbed her languid eyes, she could hear the door swinging open and someone coming in. The first thing she immediately felt was an immense headache hitting her temples. "Ow..."

"Shizuma-sama?" Nagisa's voice called out which caused her to look up and take notice of the presence in front of her.

"Nagisa-chan?"

"I brought you something," she happily said before handing her a bento and sitting down on a chair across the desk.

"Oh, thank you..." she weakly responded while unwrapping the lunchbox. The headache continued to irritate her. "I really appreciate it."

"What happened to you?" Nagisa asked as she gazed at her unkempt hair and languid eyes.

"Huh?"

"You? What happened?"

"Oh..." She rubbed her forehead, in hope the pain would stop. "I just have a headache..."

"Oh, I'll get some pain relievers then..."

"Ugh, okay..." The immense pain would not stop. She felt as if a needle was pricking her head as a dark cloud engulfed her vision. "Wait, Nagisa-chan..." She felt her whole world spinning while her consciousness began to drift away.

"Shizuma-sama? Please hang in there!"

"Ugh..."

And everything faded to black.

* * *

Shizuma felt a warm silky fabric wrapped gently around her while she felt her body on a soft cushion of somewhat.

She opened her eyes and immediately took notice of her surroundings. She was in her room, on her bed.

"Ah, you're awake!" Nagisa happily called out. She was sitting on a chair next to the bed as her crimson eyes showed of relief. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Nagisa?" She sat upright as she rubbed her forehead. She could still feel the pain, although faintly. "Ugh...what happened?"

"It seems you've caught a fever." Nagisa stated while putting thermometer in her mouth.

"What?"

"A fever. Please don't work too hard," she said softly. "It's nice that you are, but I don't want you overworking yourself."

Shizuma sighed and laid back again on her bed.

Nagisa smiled shyly at her and leaned in to give her a kiss on the forehead. "Don't worry, though. I'll take care of you, Shizuma-sama."

* * *

**A/N: Pretty cliche, huh? ._. Oh well. u_u I'll try not to make it cliche as it sounds in the next chapter. Anyways, I'm still not sure on the side pairings. :D Any request you want to take, drop it by with a review. Yaya/Tsubomi, Amane/Hikari, and of course, Shizuma/Nagisa is a must. :D And I'm planning to pair Tamao with either Miyuki or Chiyo. :3 And Chikaru with either Shion or Kagome. Still not sure. :0 **

**Oh, and I'm on winter break. Hoorah! ^o^ So, I'll try to update it daily, or at least try. :D I'll try finishing this projecting, or arc, before Christmas. Yup. Yup. :3  
**

**Review~**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9  
**

Tamao fiddled with Nagisa's phone as she slumped herself on the bed. As she continued to press the buttons, she found whole lot of pictures containing memories that they shared together, such as ones of when they were picnicking in a park. She sighed in nostalgia and turned off the phone. Snooping around her best friend's phone already gave her qualms. Her conscious will prod her more if she continued on like this.

As she sat upright from her slumped position, she looked out the window. A strong wind wobbled the leafless branches, as it created a hurl of withdrawn brown leaves twirling around the air. Winter is coming soon. And so is Christmas.

_'Christmas,'_ Now that she thought about it, all of the childhood years they have been bestfriends together, Nagisa and Tamao never shared one single Christmas event.

Speaking of Nagisa, she didn't come today. She thought she would visit her, but it turns out she didn't. It's Sunday, so maybe she's working for the Etoile.

Feeling bored, she decided to take a stroll around the campus.

* * *

"Just please say ahh, Shizuma sama." Nagisa pleaded as she brought the spoon close to her face.

"Nagisa..." Shizuma sighed impatiently. "I'm almost a grown woman. I could take care of myself."

"But-but you still haven't eaten yet!" She said as Shizuma turned away from Nagisa in her bed. "Part of the reason why you have a fever is lack of eating!"

"Nagisa..."

"It's my fault that you're in this kind of state..." Her voice shrank. "If only I hadn't told you to..."

Shizuma turned around and saw Nagisa's face looking down on the mahogany wooded floor, her eyes full of guilt. "Nagisa, it's not your fault. appreciate your concern, but I'm really fine." She gave her a reassuring smile which made the younger girl look into her eyes. "I'm really fine..." She said again, staring deeply into Nagisa's crimson eyes with assurance.

The red-head sighed. Giving a defeated smile, Nagisa stood up and nodded firmly. "Okay."

"Thank you," a sigh of relief escaped the silver beauty's lips. "Now, please go do your homework. I'm sure the teachers by now have giving you some."

"Yeah, they did." She wistfully scratched her cheek with her index finger. "Haha, I hate homework...Well, if you need me, please call me, Shizuma-sama."

* * *

"Oshibaru says it'll snow tonight," Kagome said silently to Chikaru as they walked through the near-abandoned corridors of the Strawberry Dorms.

"Ahh? He said that?" Interested, Chikaru looked out the nearest window. "Well, it would be nice if we got a White Christmas. The temperature has been dropping recently..."

"Hey, Kagome-chan!" A voice of Chiyo approached the pair, a broad grin beaming at them.

"Chiyo..."

"I can't find Tamao-oneesama today. Wanna hang out with me?" Chiyo asked, holding out an offering hand.

"Ahh...but Chikaru-oneesama will be all lonely..."

Chikaru giggled, a hand covering her mouth. "Don't worry about it, Kagome-chan. You can go with Chiyo-chan if you want. I'm meeting Shion-san anyways."

"O-okay..." She nodded reluctantly and ran off with Chiyo.

Chikaru watched the pair ran. "Ah, young love..."

* * *

Tamao walked silently through the corridors, looking out the hallway windows and skimming her eyes through the forest, wondering what Nagisa is doing right now. Gray clouds in the sky dissipated above the scrawny trees as a sigh escaped her lips.

"Hello." A gentle, soft, voice greeted her, causing her to spun her head at the source.

"Rokujou-sama..." Tamao breathed out as she took notice of her presence.

"It's nice to see you..." she said, approaching her. "Mind if I walk with you?"

"I don't mind."

They walked next to each other, silence dragging along with them.

"If you're worried about Nagisa, she's fine..." Miyuki acknowledged when she took notice of her pensive expression. "It turns out Shizuma's sick."

"Oh. Well I'm glad. I mean- with Nagisa being alright. Err..not about being Shizuma being sick. I mean...that's..."

Miyuki gave a soft giggle of amusement, which surprised Tamao a bit. She had never heard Miyuki's laugh before. She's always so uptight and stiff around the students.

"Rokujou-sama...I've never heard you laugh before..." Tamao plainly said as she gawked at her.

"Ah..."

Realizing what she had said, Tamao quickly thought of an apology. "Oh, sorry...I didn't mean to offend you..."

Miyuki giggled again, more softly. "It's alright, Suzumi-san. It's just because I'm so tense around people, right?"

"Uhm...I guess..." Tamao nodded nervously, thinking of new subjects she could bring up. "Uh, so... don't you have a meeting today?"

"Nope. I have a free day today. Well, kinda. I have a bunch of paperworks to sign."

"Oh, well that's unfortunate."

"Yeah." Miyuki sighed contently. "Well, it was really nice talking to you. You're an interesting person to be around with, Suzumi-san."

She gave Tamao a soft smile and trotted off into her own direction.

She had never seen that side of Miyuki before. But then again, she doesn't even know Miyuki that well. Just a sempai or a school mate. But seeing her talk to her so casually, and not her usual uptight self, it really made her feel at ease.

"Goodbye, Rokujou-sama..."

* * *

Nagisa chopped the carrots against the wooden cutting board, preparing supper for Shizuma in the kitchen. She watched the contents of the pot simmer under the stove as she threw in the vegetables and other necessary ingredients.

"Mmm, this Nikujaga will turn out well..." Nagisa chanted as she took a whiff of air and bounced cheerfully around the stove.

"It smells nice." Shizuma's voice called out from behind, which caused the redhead to twirl around.

"Shizuma-sama, You should be in bed!" Nagisa chided, pushing Shizuma away from the kitchen.

"I don't want to. It's boring there..." Shizuma sighed as she rubbed her head from the pain.

"Your headache hurts doesn't it? That's why you should be in bed!"

"Don't want."

"Here." She prodded her to lie on the nearest couch, elevating her head on the arm rest. "You'll be fine here."

"I don't want to," she protested again and crossed her arms.

"But you have to!" Nagisa shot back. "I have to check up on the cooking..."

Before Nagisa could turn around, Shizuma tugged at her sleeve. "Wait."

"Yes?"

"You know what would be interesting?" Shizuma sat upright from her position and gave Nagisa a seductive smile. "If you could be in bed with me."

Nagisa's face instantly turned red at the comment. "Shizuma-sama!" Before she could humiliate herself more, she ran off into the kitchen.

Shizuma chuckled. She was now in a good mood. She didn't even realize that her headache was no longer there.

* * *

They were sitting across the rectangular mahogany dining table, with Shizuma sitting on the far end and Nagisa on the other end. When she first saw the extravagant of her things, she wonders why she has such a long dining table, or even living in a big luxurious house, considering that they're the only person here.

"How do you like the dinner, Shizuma-sama?" Nagisa asked as she blew off heat of her bowl

"It's good," Shizuma answered after taking a sip at her beef stew. "Thank you for this wonderful dinner, Nagisa-chan."

Nagisa saw the pleasant smile from her master and took the liberty of being modest. "Ahh, it was no problem really! Hehe..."

"Nagisa-chan..."

"Ye-yes?"

Shizuma put her spoon down and gazed into Nagisa's eyes. She could see a twinkle of mischief in her emerald eyes, shining so brightly that she could see it from the very far end of the table. "Why aren't you wearing the maid costume I gave you?"

"Ah, err..."

"You're suppose to wear it, right?" She leaned and let her elbow rest on the table, propping her chin on the palm of her hand. "Nagisa-chan, that calls for punishment."

"GEH-" Her face instantly flush, which caused Shizuma to chuckle. "Wha-"

"Hah, Nagisa-chan you're so cute."

"N-no..." She looked away, eyes firmly on the white washed walls, hoping her would embarrassment die down. "It's just that I look fat in it, okay?"

Shizuma's amusement continued to grow by the soft chuckles she's getting.

"Ah, err...Excuse me then." She stood from her chair and hid her embarrassed face underneath her bangs as she stormed out of the dining room.

* * *

"I made hot cocoa for you.." Nagisa said while she handed Shizuma a steaming cup of hot chocolate milk that was garnished in marshmallows.

"Ah thank you." She sat upright on her bed and took a sip of her offered drink. "It's good."

Nagisa smiled weakly and sat down on the edge of the bed. "I hope you'll feel better..." The red head yawned wearily and rubbed her languid eyes.

"Nagisa..." Before Nagisa could respond, she collapsed on Shizuma's lap, taking the liberty of sleeping on it. She was certainly tired. Shizuma grinned softly at her and stroked her cute face with her fingers. "Goodnight, Nagisa-chan." She leaned down and placed a kiss on her cheeks, heat sparking as soon Shizuma's lips touched her pudgy cheeks.

She felt a warm, welcoming feeling in her body. A feeling that she hadn't felt for a long time; a familiar feeling that brought her nostalgia.

"Kaori..."

* * *

**A/N: Looks like I can't finish this before Christmas. D: I didn't even realize it was only days away. D: Oh well. T^T  
**

**Anyways, I had a bit of trouble writing this one. - o - Because of writer's block. **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Attempted fluff at the end. D: **

* * *

**Chapter 10  
**

Fresh snow piling up on branches and ferocious winds rapping on the icy-glazed windows made it seem like Winter is coming soon. The morning sun crept up the snowy landscape as the orange beams of sunlight hit the prismatic crystals of the freshly accumulated snow.

Nagisa stirred in her sleep. She felt something incredibly warm underneath her face. Furthermore, it was so soft. It was like she was sleeping on fluffy marshmallow. Reluctantly, she opened her heavy eyes. When she looked up, she saw Shizuma smiling tiredly at her, her emerald eyes stared down softly at her.

"Good morning, Nagisa-chan..."

Confused, Nagisa slowly drifted her eyes down at the what she was sleeping on. But the cranes in her brain weren't working due to fatigue. It took a few moments to register what that soft thing was in her mind. It turns out, Nagisa was sleeping on Shizuma's warm, round breasts.

After the realization hit her, she quickly jumped from the bed.

"Shi-shizuma-sama! I-I didn't mean to-" Nagisa was blushing madly as she continued to stutter.

"It's fine, Nagisa-chan," Shizuma chuckled and gracefully stretched her elegant body. "Besides, I think I'm feeling better."

"Wh-what time is it?" Nagisa glance around the room, until she saw the clock. "AHH! We're gonna be late for school!"

* * *

Tsubomi stood in front of Yaya's door, deciding whether to knock or just barge in.

'_Hikari-chan is with Amane-sempai right now so it's not like she's doing anything important in there._' Tsubomi shrugged. Feeling like she's not in her prude self today, she abruptly opened the door without the conduct of even knocking.

"Tsubomi..." She saw Yaya lying in her bed, staring irritably at her as she saw her doing what it seems to be homework. "Can't you knock? I'm trying to do something here."

"You don't knock when you come in my room either." Tsubomi shot back. "What are you trying to do anyways? It's rare to see you up earlier this morning."

"I forgot to do my homework," she sighed and got off her bed. Tsubomi was quiet surprised when she saw she was already in her uniform, well-dressed without her help. She felt a bit disappointed that she can't see Yaya's naked form today. She always liked seeing Yaya's soft round- '_Wait, what the hell!_'

"Tsubomi you're turning all red," Yaya smirked. "Thinking of something perverted about Hikari-chan again?"

"Wha- NO!" Tsubomi's whole face was turning pink, almost the colour of her hair. "I just-"

Yaya's wicked smile died down. "Well, let's go then."

"Huh?" Normally Yaya would tease her more so this was a bit of an unusual action from her.

"To school," Yaya walked past her, but just before brushing over her shoulder, she flicked her nose with one slender finger. "Seeing your cute face already put me in a good mood."

"GEH-" Tsubomi was going to retort, but her embarrassment stopped her from doing so."You baka!"

And this is how their daily lives start for these two.

* * *

Nagisa quickly ran through the woods, with Shizuma trying desperately to catch up to her.

"Uwaaa! These snow are sticking to my boots!" Nagisa cried as she relentlessly trekked through the snow.

"Nagisa, please slow down..." Shizuma panted, a hand over chest.

Nagisa glanced over her, with a baffled look on her face. "Shi-shizuma-sama! I- I forgot about your fever. I'm sorry, I'll take you back home."

The silver-beauty just grinned up at her and shook her head to a 'no.' "It's alright, Nagisa. Besides I have a lot of work to catch up on."

Nagisa was going to disagree, but they had already arrived in the entrance of the school.

"Well, good-bye Nagisa-chan," Shizuma waved and walked off into her own direction.

"Please don't overwork yourself!" Nagisa called out to her before she left.

Hoping Shizuma won't catch another fever, she went off into her own direction.

"Hello, Nagisa-chan!" Tamao greeted when she approached her.

"Tamao-chan, hello!" Nagisa smiled bubbly at her and then they walked together.

"Ready for that math test?"

"EH? There's a math test?" Nagisa exclaimed with surprise.

Tamao giggled. "There is. But I'm sure the teacher will let you off the hook since you haven't been here long enough to understand what was going on in math. Don't worry about it."

Nagisa sighed in relief. "Don't scare me like that."

They both giggled and went off to their classrooms as usual.

"It's really cold outside isn't?" Tamao shivered.

"Ha, yeah. I thought I was going to be late."

With that, the school bell rang.

* * *

This came by as a daily routine for Nagisa. She would be greeted by Tamao followed by attending their usual classrooms. At lunch, they would eat in the cafeteria with Tsubomi and Yaya while the two Spican girls would have their daily argument about something inconsequential. The quarrel would continue on until Hikari, a very nice, blonde Spican girl who's best friends with Yaya, would get here.

Sometimes, if the cafeteria was too full, they would have tea back in Tamao's rooms. When the lunch bell rings, the group would walk off to their respective classrooms.

'_This isn't so bad after all..._' Nagisa thought happily. '_And Hikari-chan seems really nice..._'

The routine would continue on until the days slowly drifted to the wintry month of December, when the days were cold and long.

When Christmas Eve came around, the whole place were blossomed with decorations of Christmas colours.

Christmas lights with brilliant colours would intertwine through the buildings and roofs, illuminating the place with bright colours during nighttime. Students from all three schools would flourish the place with decorative ornaments, enlightening the mood into a jolly atmosphere.

* * *

Nagisa sat on one of the luxurious couches while Shizuma was busy preparing the fireplace. A blanket was wrapped around the younger girl as she watched Shizuma prod the fireplace to life.

A wild blizzard was howling outside, flourishing mercilessly over the vast, snowy landscape. Nagisa snuggled warmly in the comfort of her blanket since Shizuma's house didn't provide a heater - hence why it's so cold inside.

"Shizuma-sama, do you need help with that?"

But her questions was soon answered when the fireplace finally ignited a calm, blazing fire. The warmth hit the skin of Nagisa's face, making her feel at ease. Shizuma grinned softly at her and sat next to her on the couch.

"Nagisa-chan, I'm still cold. It would do good if you shared that blanket with me," Shizuma said.

"Oh, uh sorry." Nagisa brought the blanket around Shizuma, earning her a more bigger smile from the older girl. It felt weird to Nagisa, since she had never shared a blanket with someone besides Tamao before. But luckily, the blanket was big enough to have their own personal proximity instead of snuggling uncomfortably against each other.

Shizuma sighed contently. "Hah, that's better."

Maybe it's just because of the fireplace, but when she fully wrapped the blanket around them, she felt more warmer than before. Maybe it's because it's with Shizuma.

Nagisa glanced over her and saw Shizuma calmly staring at the fireplace, her reflective emerald eyes in deep contemplation.

'_I wonder what she's thinking about..._' Nagisa pondered. She drifted her eyes to Shizuma's luscious silver locks and then down her slender neck which lead to her shoulder blades. She stared at them, thinking how comforting it can be if she can just rest her head on those. Oh how she wish she sleep on those shoulders.

Nagisa let out a stifled yawn.

"Are you tired?" Shizuma asked quietly as she faced her.

"Kinda..." She rubbed her eyes, unaware that Shizuma was shifting closer to her.

"It's fine..." Shizuma calmly whispered and then wrapped her arms around Nagisa.

"Shi-shizuma-sama..." She muttered out as she suddenly felt Shizuma's warmth against hers.

"Nagisa-chan, you're so warm..." Shizuma's breath tickled her skin as she slowly caressed the back of her neck.

Nagisa felt so comfortable feeling her heat. It was a new side of her that she had never seen. Even though she sees Shizuma chuckling heartedly sometimes, she always have this feeling that it was like a facade. A facade that covers her lonely and disconsolate self.

Nagisa closed her eyes. Shizuma felt so soft that she never wanted the embrace to end. She felt at ease when she's in her arms.

It was as if she's falling into an endless hole. Not a pitiless hole filled with nothing but fear and desolation. But a hole that one can snuggle warmly into. A hole that anyone can relax into and let all the worries wash away. She could sense herself getting lost into that hole.

Until she finally drifted off to sleep.

Lost forever, but in Shizuma's arms.

* * *

**A/N: I suck at the fluff. D: I guess it needs work. It's not the best in the world, but I'll try to make it perfect the next time. :) This is the best I could do. Anyways, Happy Holidays, everyone. ^U^ This is a gift to all the people who are reading my story right now. Thank you for taking the time to read it. :) I appreciate it, everyone. ^o^**

**Edit: Thanks to Kaizer20 for pointing out the mistakes. It has been edited. :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: To answer Kaizer20-kun's question, I may or might not turn this story to 'M' Rated. ^.^ I've never wrote a lemon before, so it all depends on how this goes. Though I'll gladly let this story take away my 'writer's virginity.' (oh, you know what it is!) LOL. 8D Let's just how this goes. I already have the story planned out up to chap. 8. But I think I know what to do with this story. ^.^ **

* * *

**Chapter 11****  
**

The first few days of the New Year were filled with people bustling in giant masses of crowds. Noises and chatters filled Nagisa's ears as she tried to keep up with Shizuma's pace and not get lost as they made their way to the city.

Like always, it was cold in winter. Leftover piles of snow were stuck on the roofs of building as the gray clouds above blackened the sky.

Nagisa wore a simple blue sweater, which made her chatter because it wasn't thick enough to protect her in the cold. Down her legs, she wore a skirt with stockings, which she also regretted wearing since she had grown taller, meaning that the skirt had become unbearably short for her. Occasional breeze would past by which made Nagisa worry of creeps peeping under her skirt.

Her boots plopped on the water puddles from the melted snow and puffs of fogs escaped her lips as she tried to keep up with Shizuma in the bustling swarm of people.

"Shizuma-sama, please slow down..." Nagisa asked, worried that she would disappear into the crowds eventually. "I'm afraid I might lose you."

Shizuma was wearing a long black overcoat with brown boots and jeans as her usual-luscious silver hair cascaded down her back. Men would occasionally glance adoringly at her as they would pass by. Some would stop by to check her out and woman of high-schoolers and college students would stare in admiration at her beauty. Some others were too busy to notice, although, that barely happens since her glimmering hair was a rare characteristic of beauty to not ignore of.

"Oh?" Shizuma turned to look at Nagisa's worried expression, which was soon faltered by one of her impish smirks. "Then let's hold hands."

Nagisa's face tinted into a light shade of red as Shizuma took her hand in her own. "Shi-shizuma-sama..."

"Why are you blushing, Nagisa-chan?" A smirk played on Shizuma's face when she saw the rosy colour on Nagisa's cheeks that deepened more as she noted.

"It-it's just that your hand is kinda cold..."

"And?"

"And we're both girls..."

"Yes, but other girls do this too." she smirked. "It's not like we're a couple or anything. Unless you want us to be..."

"Eh?" Nagisa's face flushed into a much deeper colour, causing Shizuma to chuckle in amusement.

_'Why am I blushing like this?' _She thought wildly._ 'I usually don't blush like this! What the-' _

"Oh, I think I see the shrine." She interrupted her thoughts, head cocked up to the direction ahead. "Look."

Nagisa looked up and, from the bodies of people bumping their ways in the crowd, she could see a red lofty gate towering above the people's moving heads in the distance. A mass of trees were planted around the Japanese architectural building as Nagisa stared at it with amazement. Something about that temple made her feel like she'd seen it before.

"Hey, I know this shrine!" Nagisa exclaimed. "My parents and I always pays a visit here every New Years and other holidays."

_'Parents...'_ Those words struck her mind the second she blurted out the name. It's been a while since she last saw them. Having so much fun with Tamao and Shizuma everyday made her forget about the people who had brought her up.

"Your parents?" She looked at her, eyebrows arching with interest.

A sigh escaped her lips as she nodded. "Yes...but...it's been a while since I've last seen them."

"Oh." Shizuma gave her a heart-warming smile. "If you want, Nagisa-chan, you could visit your parents after we visit the shrine."

"EH? But, but-" Nagisa's stomach were filled with dread at the thought of visiting her parents. If she did visit her parents, what would she say to her?

_'Hi mom, hi dad! Sorry I ran away from home. Don't worry though! I broke a priceless heirloom of a very rich woman who goes to one of the prestigious schools so I'm forced to work as her servant from now on. You can go continue your arguments about financial matters while I cower here in the corner.'_

The sarcastic thoughts made Nagisa feel the bile rising up in her throat as her knees began to wobble slightly.

"Nagisa, are you okay?" Shizuma asked worriedly. "We're already there at the shrine."

"Oh...ahaha..." Nagisa laughed sheepishly. "Well, let's go then."

Nagisa grabbed Shizuma's hand and ran towards the temple. Even with their escape from the bustling crowds in the city, the place was also filled with shuffling of throngs as the made their way into the entrance.

* * *

After Nagisa and Shizuma made an offering and silently prayed in the temple, they proceeded to go to the wooden boards where people write down their wishes and hope for good fortune - an old tradition that was fun to do.

But as they were about to go, they coincidentally bumped into Yaya and Tsubomi who had just finished making their wishes and prayers.

"Yaya-chan, Tsubomi-chan? I'm glad to see you here!" Nagisa hugged Yaya and Tsubomi all together with wide open arms.

"I'm glad to see you too, Nagisa-sempai and Etoile-sama..." Tsubomi grinned. Though half of her smile were covered by a plain scarf that she wore around her neck that _Yaya _had given her in Christmas just cause Hikari hadn't to spend her Christmas Eve with them.

"So, Tsubomi-chan..." Nagisa giggled. "What did you wish for?"

Tsubomi's cheeks tinted into a soft red hue at the question. "Uhm...well...since you're my Sempai, it would be rude to not answer that question..."

Nagisa giggled, awaiting for an answer.

Tsubomi fidgeted with her fingers and cautiously glanced around her shoulders only to see Yaya eying her with curiosity before answering the question. "I just want Yaya-sempai to be happy." Tsubomi blurted out, cheeks staining red. Yaya's eyebrows rose at her response, but just before she could say anything back, Tsubomi began to stammer. "But..but don't think I'm doing it for you, Yaya-sempai! I want everyone to be happy and seeing your emo attitude is enough to annoy me! So...so don't get any wrong idea that I'm doing it for you! Baka!"

Yaya only rolled her eyes at the girl.

"So did you two come here together?" Nagisa giggled. "You know, together?"

"WHAT!" Yaya exclaimed with surprise. "You mean with Tsubomi? No way! I came here with Hikari-chan and Amane-sempai. Tsubomi just tagged along." She furrowed her eyebrows and tucked her hands into her pockets as a light shade of crimson spread across her face.

Before Tsubomi was about to retort at her comment of not putting honorifics in her name or let Nagisa ask who 'Amane-sempai' was, Hikari approached them with a woman beside her held her hand.

"Nagisa-chan and Etoile-sama?" Hikari said. "I'm glad to see you, here!"

"Glad to see you here too, Hikari-chan..." Shizuma said. "And Amane-san."

"Etoile-sama..." The woman's voice was a bit silent but crossed a grin at her soft, prince-like features. Nagisa eyed her in curiosity while the woman's frame reminded her to that of a prince.

"Oh, this is Amane-chan..." Hikari introduced to Nagisa.

"Oh! Nice to meet you then."

"Hmm...nice to meet you. So you're Nagisa-kun?"

"Yes. And she's mine." Shizuma told her and intertwined her hands through Nagisa's fingers.

"Shizuma-sama..." A small blush spread across her face as Shizuma began dragging her away from them.

"We'll see you later then." Shizuma told them as both Nagisa and her proceeded to go to the wooden boards to write down their wishes.

"Goodbye."

And the group left.

* * *

"So, what did you wish for, Nagisa-chan?"

"Hmm...a good year. For me and for you. What about you?"

"That's a secret," she chuckled.

"What? But I told you mine! You should at least tell me what was yours." Nagisa cried as the two made their way into the crowd.

Both Shizuma and Nagisa had just finished visiting the shrine and was bumping their way into the swarm of people in the courtyard of the temple.

"Oh- please excuse me." Nagisa apologized after she accidentally bumped into a woman who has distinctively the same hair colour as Nagisa's.

As the red-headed person turned around to say something like, _'it's okay,'_ her eyes, which was also the same crimson-coloured eyes of Nagisa's, widened instead.

"Na-Nagisa-chan?" The woman spoke breathlessly.

"Mom?" Nagisa's eyes widened as well, causing Shizuma to look at them in bewilderment.

"Oh, Nagisa-chan!' The woman lunged forward at her, giving Nagisa a tight embrace as her eyes brimmed with tears. "I've missed you so much!"

"Mom..." Nagisa began to cry and buried her head in her mother's shoulders. "I miss you too..."

"AHEM." A scrape of the throat escaped from someone nearby, interrupting the mother-and-daughter reunion. Shizuma drifted her eyes to the person who interrupted them and saw a man with a very hostile expression planted on his serious-looking face.

"Father..." Nagisa shakily breathed out as she recognized the man standing by her mother.

"Nagisa, you better explain the meaning of why you ran away." Her dad said sternly.

"Father..."

Her mother sighed, shaking her head in disapproval, and began stroking Nagisa's red hair. "Don't mind your father, sweetie. Just please come back home."

_'Come back home...'_ Nagisa gulped at the thought as her stomach began feeling heavy. How would she explain her whole situation with them?

"Well...uhm..." Nagisa pulled away from her mother's embrace with a sheepish look on her face. She strayed away from them and then let her legs walk off to Shizuma. Her parents, who hadn't notice Shizuma until now, eyed Shizuma in confusion, and in amazement because of her beauty. Nagisa's father, in particular, had eyes so wide, his pupils became minuscule as he stood awestruck at her amazing beauty.

Nagisa took a heavy breath and said, "I can't..."

* * *

"EH?" Both of Nagisa's parents stood motionless, their throats beginning to dry out.

"I'm sorry, mother, father." Nagisa said in shame as she let her eyes stay on the ground. Shizuma and her both sat on the couch of the Aoi residence while her parents were sitting across them, almost falling off their chairs because of the shock. "I know I should have just listened to you."

Both of Nagisa's parents looked like thunder had struck them after Shizuma told them that Nagisa had become her servant because of an accidental shove that she unintentionally gave in one of the irreplaceable heirlooms belonging to the Hanazono family.

"Then..." Nagisa's father grunted. "We're sorry for what our daughter has done to you."

He kneeled down on the floor and bowed until his forehead touched the oaken wood. "We are very sorry."

"Uh..." Shizuma had an uneasy expression on her face as soon as she saw the type of bowing Nagisa's father was giving him. "Aoi-san, you don't really have to bow like that."

"Gomen nasai..." Her father said again as Nagisa's mother had a very worried expression on her face.

"Aoi-san..."

"Gomen..." He stopped bowing and returned to his place on the couch.

"We're so sorry. Once Nagisa pays off the debt she owed you, I'll make sure she gets a stern lecture from me." He said seriously. "Besides, this is obviously her mother's fault."

Nagisa's mother snapped at the statement.

"ME?" She raised an annoyed eyebrow at her husband. "At least I'm not the one who comes home drunk!"

"You wanna argue with me, huh, woman?" He yelled. "I work hard at my job, okay?"

"But you don't have to reek of alcohol every single night you come here!" She retorted. "That's probably the reason why we can't pay our bills anymore!"

"I do not do that!" He yelled back. "And the reason why we don't have any money is because you can't even get a job!"

"Don't deny it! And if you're so worried about me finding a job, why don't you at least work try hard in your own?"

"Stop it both of you!" Nagisa yelled as she shot up from the couch, breaking the tension between them. Her fist were clenched tightly in her hands and her voice were filled with intensity and contempt, as if she was almost spitting out her words.

"This..." Nagisa's bangs covered her face, making it hard to tell what expression she's wearing on. But that did not matter, as her tone were enough to tell what she's feeling. "This is exactly the reason why I didn't want to be here!" She yelled ferociously and ran off to the door.

Shizuma sat frozen in place as she heard the door slammed shut. "I'll go get her..."

* * *

Nagisa ran out of the house and unto the wet streets as tears cascaded down her cheeks. Her boots plopped on the puddles as her feet carried her through the dreary-looking neighborhood. There was only one place where she always goes to when she can't resist the arguments from her parents anymore- a desolated place somewhere in the nearby park that's not too much of a distance from her house. It's where she always goes to whenever Tamao is flushed on schoolwork and can't afford the time to make a single phone-call.

_'Yes...that's where I'll go...'_ Nagisa sniffed as she rubbed the tears streaming down her face. She stopped running and took a deep breath in the cool air. _'I'll go there...'_

But as she was about to run, something caught her wrist. Or rather- someone grasped her wrist. Nagisa turned around and, from her blurred vision of her tears, she saw a fuzzy image of Shizuma taking a hold on her arm.

"Shizuma-sama..." Nagisa wiped her tears away. "What are you-"

Nagisa's words were soon halted when Shizuma grabbed her for a warm hug. She held her tight, not wanting to let go, as Nagisa stood in shock.

"Shizuma-sama..." She could feel the tears stream back up, but not because of the distress from her parents, but because she was in Shizuma's arms again.

It was just like that time when she had held her during that Christmas Eve. Except this time, it felt as if all worries had washed away to some faraway island and left her in a welcoming paradise.

"Let's just go home, okay?" Shizuma softly whispered in her ears as she stroke the red strands of her hair. "Together."

Nagisa held back the tears as she nodded and pulled away. "Thank you..."

Shizuma's eyes stared intently at her and rubbed away the tears with her thumb.

She smiled.

And Nagisa smiled back.

"Well, let's go..."

* * *

**A/N: I wanted to slip in a bit of Yaya/Tsubomi thingy in the middle. Yeah... ._.**

** Uhm...sorry for late updates. (^_^)" **

**/sweatdrops and scratches back of the head sheepishly like the above azn emoticon.**

**I'll try to update at least once or twice weeks, since school already started for me. :) **

**EDIT: Thanks to Kaizer20 for pointing out the mistakes. It has been fixed. ^.^ I think. D;  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12:****  
**

Tamao idly tapped her pen on the surface of her writing desk as she let her chin rest on the palm of her hand. The empty sheet of paper sitting in front of her stared blankly in her eyes, enticing her pen to strike along the blue horizontal lines and let the ink fill out the void of creativity that was whited out on the sheet.

But no matter how much brainpower or deep thinking to knock down that intimidating heavy wall in her mind, her thoughts kept wandering off to Nagisa.

It has been a while since she last seen her; her concern for her have gotten a bit bigger ever since the start of New Years.

There''s a possibility that she has gone off with Shizuma to the shrine, but Tamao wanted to be the one to visit the festivals with Nagisa in city. It really bothered her that Shizuma was getting more closer with her everyday, even though she was the one who had met Nagisa first.

_'Friendship...'_

_'Shizuma...'_

Those words reminded her of Shizuma's best friend.

That's right...

Shizuma's has her own best friend as well, Miyuki. She had nearly forgotten about that, since Tamao rarely sees Shizuma walking Miyuki. But then again, she hadn't seen Shizuma for a while. However, she would occasionally spot Miyuki walking off in the hallways, having very tense shoulders resting on her stiff posture. Whenever she sees those shoulders, she just wants to massage them and run her hands along her soft skin and down her-

At one time, just after Miyuki was walking past her, Tamao was bold enough to steal a glance over her shoulders. However, that fleeting glance was soon caught when Miyuki, as well, looked past her shoulders, making an awkward moment between them. Tamao wanted to immediately look away, but to her surprise the tensity in the air was quickly dispersed when Miyuki gave her one of her soft greetings. Tamao was a bit taken aback, but greeted back nonetheless.

Miyuki might be signing some boring, inconsequential paperworks or doing her Student Council duties in her office. Even though they're only acquaintances, Tamao would sometimes worry about Miyuki's health.

_'Rokujou-sama...I hope you're alright...'_

* * *

Shizuma was slumped on her lounging chair as she watched the petals of white crystal gracefully hit the ground through the frosty-glazed window. It had been snowing nonstop since this morning and Shizuma was a bit worried of Miyuki trekking through this merciless blizzard all in one piece if she were to choose to visit her. Shizuma had talked to her through the phone last night, insisting that she wanted her to come over to her place just because Miyuki sounded a bit stiff and tired when she noticed. Of course, Miyuki declined, making up an excuse that she has a load of work to do but Shizuma had seen right through her white lie and kept relenting her to come. In the end, Shizuma won.

But from the looks of the harsh weather as of now, Miyuki might not be coming over today.

She sighed and let her mind drift off to somewhere else. It was Winter Break and she wanted her vacation to last. Next week she would have to go back to school and do those boring Etoile duties.

It was then that Nagisa came in the room, dressed in her maid outfit, with a huge blush on her face. Her eyes remained on the floor, and Shizuma couldn't help but chuckle at her overwhelming cuteness when she spotted her.

"Ara...So you've finally gotten used to wearing that?"

Nagisa pouted and crossed her arms in a dignified fashion. "Mou...stop it! You wanted me to wear this and I don't want you punishing me!"

Shizuma shook in laughter. "I'm sorry, but you're just so cute..."

Nagisa's face tinted into a more deeper crimson but shook her head instead, not wanting to get this conversation too far.

"Whatever. Is there anything you need, Shizuma-sama?"

"No...nothing really...please sit down."

"Uh...okay..." Nagisa sat down on one of the couches next to Shizuma.

The fireplace in front of her was flickering lively, letting Nagisa's cheeks bathe in warmth of its glorious blaze. It was the only light source in the room making the place a bit dim. Nagisa turned to Shizuma and saw her features being illuminated into an orange glow as the silver-beauty stared in the fireplace with a contemplative expression. Nagisa's not sure if she's just imagining things, but it was as if she could feel a small saddening tone in her expression.

"Shizuma-sama...are you okay?" Nagisa asked with concern in her voice.

Shizuma's expression pensive expression faltered a bit, only mumbling a small, "Huh?"

Nagisa bit her lip, deciding whether she should go on with her conversation or not. "I can't help but think if you're unhappy or not. Maybe it's just my imagination but...are you sad?"

Shizuma's eyes blinked. "What..."

"I mean...sometimes, I can feel that you're sad- AH! I mean... never mind, never mind..." She chuckled uneasily and scratched the back of her neck in a sheepish manner. "Sorry...just forget what I said."

Shizuma only stared back at her... until she bursted out in a small laughter. "Aha...you really are cute, Nagisa-chan..."

"Eh?"

Shizuma's laughter died down into a small smile as Nagisa's cheeks continued to paint into a much deeper red.

"Stop it..."

"I'm sorry." Shizuma sighed, rested her elbow on her armchair and let her chin rest on the palm of her hand while the small smile still graced her lips. "You know...you remind me of someone I know..." She said as she stared at the fireplace again.

Nagisa eyed her attentively. "Really?"

"Yes...her name was Kaori. But..." she paused to look at the dancing flames of the fire. Something in her voice felt like their was saddening edge to it. "...she left me. Nagisa-chan..." She turned her head and stared deeply into Nagisa's eyes; a serious look was deepening in Shizuma's eyes. "You wouldn't leave me, would you?"

Nagisa blinked in surprise. How could she respond to a question like that? And what did she mean by not leaving her. Sometimes, Nagisa can hate how dense she could sometimes be.

"Nagisa-chan..."

Shizuma's soft whisper interrupted her mesh of her thoughts, but not because it was her voice. It was because of how close the voice seemed. Nagisa looked up, and saw Shizuma on top of her.

"Eh? Shi-shizuma-sama?"

Shizuma wrapped her arms around her neck and rested her chin on top of Nagisa's head.

"She died because of an illness," The way she breathed out her words made her voice seemed like a sob. A sob full of tensity, as if she was choking through it.

Nagisa's pupils rolled up and saw her bangs covering her face. A few tears streamed down her cheeks and Nagisa could feel a sharpening pang pricking her heart. It was then that she knew the answer to that question. The moment she saw the sad tears shimmering down her cheeks was the moment she knew what she wanted to say.

"Nagisa-chan, you wouldn't leave me, would you?"

Nagisa shook her head and looked up to give her a warm smile. A soft, warm smile that had melted her troubles before when Shizuma herself had first given it to her back then.

"I'm not going to leave you. Not because I'm your servant. But because you've been there with me before."

Shizuma froze. And then pulled away to look at her. Her eyes were widened into huge orbs and Nagisa could only stare at her with a soft grin gracing her lips. "Nagisa...chan..."

The stood motionless for awhile, until the doorbell rang. Their eyes pulled away from each other and eyed the oak surface door.

"Uh...I'll get that." Shizuma said and stood up to answer whoever it was on the door. "Maybe it's Miyuki. Nagisa-chan, will you please prepare some tea?"

"Hai..." Nagisa got up and went to the kitchen to prepare a batch of tea. When she got back with a tray of tea in her hands, she saw Miyuki Rokujou sitting in the couches across Shizuma. Her posture was stiff as ever and gave off a cold demeanor.

"Hello, Aoi-san."

"Good afternoon, Rokujou-sama." Nagisa greeted and settled the tray on the coffee table.

"Thank you, Nagisa-chan." Shizuma said as she sipped her cherry-flavoured tea.

"I'll go make today's dinner then." Nagisa bowed courteously and walked off to the kitchen to prepare supper.

Whatever they are going to about leaves no interest for Nagisa. When Shizuma had asked that question, it felt as if an insecure feeling inside of her melted away. Nagisa started whistling cheerfully as she chopped the onions. Shizuma had supported her before. She was there when Nagisa needed comfort. She was there, welcoming Nagisa with open arms.

Now...it was Nagisa's turn to comfort Shizuma.

* * *

**A/N: Damn...I'm not good at these kind of things. D; I get so weak... T_T  
**

**/was frustrated. **

**Uhm, anyways...I noticed that I had a shitload of grammar mistakes and crap typos when I skimmed over my past chapters. O_O LOL, I'm sorry. I read them over before submitting, but I don't have that much of a keen eye and I tend to overlook things. = U=;; SO SORRY.  
**

**KTHNXBAI.  
**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13****  
**

"Well, what is it that you want with me, Miyuki?" Shizuma inquired after she took a sip of her cherry tea.

Shizuma was a bit surprised that her friend decided to visit her, but she welcomed her nonetheless. It's been a while since she last seen her, now that Shizuma is further thinking about it.

A whistle of wind escaped Miyuki's lips as she blew on her teacup. "It's about your father..." She drank the tea, her expression remaining unreadable and cold. "He wants to see you tomorrow."

"My father? I don't have time to see him." Shizuma laid back on the couch, clearly showing no interest about what Miyuki is saying. "I have other things to do then see that pig."

"Shizuma..." Miyuki sighed and placed her cup back on the coffee table. "It's about something important. He insists in wanting you to come."

"If it's about his stupid marriages arranging me with other piggish men like him, then I don't want to come."

"I don't know what it is, but he stressed enough on how important it was."

Shizuma's eyes glinted in contempt as she glared angrily into space, not making any eye contact at Miyuki. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of Nagisa's knife chopping against a wooden board at the next room in the kitchen.

"Shizuma, about that girl..."

Her raging contempt in her eyes simmered down as her pupils drifted to Miyuki's golden-like orbs. "You mean, Nagisa-chan?"

"Yes. If I recall correctly during the fall when you finally showed up to school, you said that this 'Nagisa-chan' broke a very 'important heirloom' of yours." Miyuki said, making Shizuma smirk impishly. "Shizuma, did you really care about that vase, or did you just wanted to toy with this girl?"

The impish smirk continued to play on her lips. "She was a cute girl back when I first saw her. It'd be a waste if I had just let her go like releasing a fish in the waters..."

Miyuki sighed as she shook her head in disapproval. "You never change."

Shizuma's playfulness quickly fainted into soft sincerity as she leaned back on the chair once more. Her eyes glued to the ceiling as her reflective orbs stared blankly at the white washed ceiling. "...and she reminds me of Kaori."

Miyuki almost choked upon hearing those words, eyes widened at her as she tried to regain herself at the forsaken name. "Shi-shizuma..."

"It's nothing." She sighed and stood up. "I'll be going to my father's mansion this weekend then. Whatever 'important' thing he wants with me better be worth my time."

Miyuki smiled at the agreement. "Well I'm glad you're actually listening to me. And be sure to turn on your phone next time so I wouldn't have to walk all the way over here."

"Turn on my phone?" Shizuma smiled playfully. "I don't like talking to people. And besides you'll probably annoy me non-stop if I did."

"Tsk..whatever. I don't have time for your pointless banters, so I best be going now." Miyuki sighed weakly and stood up from her spot. But as she started to walk to the door, Shizuma grabbed her wrist.

"You're not eating dinner with us?"

Miyuki sighed and shook her head. "No. Besides, I have better things to do."

"You're not fun. You should at least eat with us. My Nagisa-chan is probably done cooking by now."

"Your Nagisa-chan?" Miyuki arched an eyebrow. "Very well, then."

* * *

Dinner went by as usual.

"Hmm...this is good Nagisa-chan," Shizuma commented as she nibbled on the tip of her chopsticks.

The meal was none other than a traditional Japanese dinner. It was served with modest amounts of side dishes, rice bowls, and delicious coarse meal.

"Thank you. My mom makes it all the time," Nagisa said. "But I'm sorry if you're not used to this kind of dining, Rokujou-sama. I didn't know that you were going to eat dinner. I should have cooked more rice."

"That's alright, Aoi-san. I'm just a guest here," Miyuki grinned. "Besides, the food is really delicious."

"I'm glad you like it," Nagisa said and popped a fried squidball on her mouth.

"Shizuma, stop nibbling on your chopsticks." Miyuki told Shizuma, who had just smirked at her admonishment.

"Oh yeah? And what are you going to do about it?" She challenged as her eyes glinted playfully.

"It's just not courteous," she sighed. "And don't lay back on your chair like that. You might hit the floor."

"Meh...you're no fun."

Nagisa smiled at how open Shizuma is with Miyuki. She had never seen Shizuma so friendly with someone. It just seems like she just mingles with girls and then just throws them away like some unwanted, broken toy. She felt happy that there's a whole new side to Shizuma that Nagisa had never seen before. Maybe Shizuma could open up to Nagisa as well.

* * *

After dinner, Nagisa washed the dishes as Shizuma helped her clean up the kitchen.

"By the way Nagisa-chan..." Shizuma said as she wiped the kitchen counters. "We have to leave for tomorrow so please don't stay up to late."

"Where are we leaving?"

"You'll find out soon." She said. "I'll take a shower. You could do the rest, Nagisa-chan."

And so she left Nagisa to clean up the rest. The night went by as usual. Miyuki had left before long and Shizuma was preparing to sleep in her room. Nagisa did as she was told and was not to stay up late.

* * *

The next morning, a car was prepared to them outside in the gates of Asterea. Shizuma and Nagisa had to walk up all the way over there, much to Shizuma's displeasure.

They entered the car when the driver opened the doors without Shizuma saying a word. Nagisa was a bit surprised that Shizuma stood silent all the way in the car ride but she didn't question anything.

"We're here." Shizuma finally spoke up. She had bored look on her face when she spotted a figure of a building looming in the distance. "Yay..."

She sighed and crossed her arms, as if not wanting to visit that particular place.

As the car drove in the road and the figure becoming closer, Nagisa was more than amazed at what she saw.

The mansion was made of stoned structure and had a few levels of floors with clear archaic windows lining in the sides. A lawn of snow covered the vast landscape, as well as the roofs and branches of leafless trees. The black metal gates squeaked opened for the car and the vehicle pulled over to the front of the house where a few sets of Greek Architectural Posts stood in the cobblestone porch.

"Wow..." Nagisa awed at the grandness of the house stood under the gray sky. "You actually live here?"

"I do." Shizuma said as Nagisa noted an odd glint in her eyes. Maybe it was just Nagisa's imagination but it was as if the eyes glinting in contempt.

Shizuma, looking totally uninterested, frowned when the doors opened for her to step outside. Nagisa followed without saying a word, wondering why a mere servant like her wanted Shizuma to come along to such a place that showed off great wealth and aristocracy.

As the driver opened the wide oak doors for them to enter, a set of maids aligned in the doorway, greeted them warmly.

"Welcome home, Mistress Shizuma." They all bowed at once.

A man walked down staircases when Shizuma's presence was known.

"Welcome home, my dear Shizuma," The man said as he approached him. He was wearing a business attire with the tie loose around his neck and his jackets were unbuttoned sloppily. "I'm glad to see you again." He instantly wore a charming smile on his face, smile that could be compared to Shizuma's.

"Hello father." Shizuma said bitterly.

Nagisa could see where Shizuma's characteristics came from when she took a better look. The man had the same shade of silver as Shizuma's hair, as well as the charming aura that they both emit, especially when they smile alluringly. The only difference is the colour of their eyes. Her father had blue.

"Ah, who is this?" He inquired as he spot Nagisa.

"That does not matter." Shizuma said sternly. "Now what did you call me here for?"

"Hmm...right to the point, I see," he smirked, though he knew the edge in Shizuma's voice that Nagisa is someone special and important to her. "Anyways, let's discuss these matters with a cup of tea. Bring your little pet too, if you wish."

He gestured for the two to follow, to which they complied.

As they passed the halls, Nagisa could only remain silent as the interior of the walls compelled her in fascination. It was as if she's walking through a grand palace. Which made her more curious to why Shizuma took her, since a mere servant like her didn't deserve the nobility of passing through such a grandeur of majesty.

Long archaic windows lined the walls as they passed, and seconds before Nagisa knew it, they were already in the living room. A regal design adorned the room and they all sat down in the fancy-looking couches.

"What did you want to see me here for?" Shizuma asked as her father began sipping in the cup of tea the maids prepared for them.

Nagisa wanted to drink her tea as well, but the tensity in the atmosphere made her too nervous and scared to actually move her feet or hands.

After taking a last sip, Shizuma's father put his teacup down and flashed an apologetic smile.

Shizuma's eyebrows instantly furrowed. She knows that look. He gives her that look every time he proposes the 'meeting' Shizuma so bitterly hates.

"Time has been running out, my dear. Please don't hate me for this," he said sadly, as if he's regretting what he's about to say. "But...it's about your arranged marriage. I have chosen someone very noble and honourable for you. And this time, you _will _have to marry him."

* * *

**A/N: Oooh what will happen next?  
0_0  
O_o  
o_O  
O_O  
o_o  
Nah, it's not really that much of a punch, right? :O**


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